


X-War

by Razial



Series: Adventures of Alexander Grey Logan [2]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-02 17:22:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 52,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10223306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razial/pseuds/Razial
Summary: The return of Alexander Logan to the prime universe brings trouble for the X-Men with it, especially for Logan and Jean. Sequel to Phoenix Force.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to my story Phoenix Force. So you should read that story to have any clue as to what is going on here. This takes place a few months after the first story.

X-War

Author: Razial  
Beta: Hawklan

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men or any of the other characters used from Marvel Comics. They are the property of Marvel Comics and Stan Lee. I don`t own any of the characters in this story bar the ones I created if any.

Pairings: Logan/Jean, Gambit/Rogue, Kurt/Kitty

Notes: This is a sequel to my story Phoenix Force. So you should read that story to have any clue as to what is going on here. This takes place a few months after the first story. 

Summary: The return of Alexander Logan to the prime universe brings trouble for the X-Men with it, especially for Logan and Jean. Sequel to Phoenix Force.

Chapter 1

(Earth-619, X Mansion)

Alexander Grey Logan ran as fast as he could and was trying to find Kitty before the thing, whatever it was, that had attacked the mansion found her. It had already disabled the majority of the team, including his parents and sister. Whatever the fuck it was, it somehow had the ability to heal itself just like he and his father did, as well as other mutant powers. He also knew there were people with it, following the creature in and capturing the unconscious members of his team and there was little he could do to stop them. His mother’s last command had been for him to get help. There was only one choice he could make on where to find help, it was not a choice made lightly and he just hoped they were not busy right now. 

Still first thing first he had to find Kitty before it was too late. He charged into the half destroyed kitchen to see Kitty on the floor unconscious. The creature stood above her and quickly took note of him. He had only a second to make a choice before it came for him. Gathering every little bit of power he had, he summoned the Phoenix Force as his mother had taught him and vanished just as the creature lunged at him and three men entered the room. 

“One of them escaped,” the first man stated with a growl. 

“It matters not, we have what we came for,” the man in the middle stated with a cruel smile. “The genetic samples we can take from the X-Men will advance my experiments beyond all I could dream off and to have access to the fabled Phoenix Force is more than I could hope for,” he added. 

“Just remember our deal Essex, you wipe the memories of ever falling in love with that damn animal or having his spawn from Jean’s mind once you have what you need,” the third man spat as he stepped forward and revealed himself to be Scott Summers. 

“I’m a man of my word Summers, so calm yourself,” Essex responded calmly. “Your help in breaching the defenses of the mansion was most helpful and I will keep my end of the bargain I assure you,” he stated. 

Scott frowned as he watched the man walk away with his follower. This Essex was a genetics professor who was obsessed with unlocking the secrets of what made mutants exist. He had learned about him from the local papers as he tried to find a way to destroy Logan and his bastard children, and then finally he could reclaim Jean. He could still remember the day she told him she was leaving him because she was in love with Logan, oh how it burned to watch her walk away. He had vowed revenge and ever since then he had been trying to kill Logan and take Jean back anyway he could. When he had learned the news she had given birth to first a son and then a daughter a year later it had really driven him around the bend. 

All his plans had failed so far, but once he had learned about Essex, a scientist who could manipulate not only DNA but also other things such as memories, well he’d come up with a new one. And he knew he could get Essex to help him, the man was obsessed with the secrets of DNA and what better subjects to offer him than the all-powerful X-Men, including two bearers of the fabled Phoenix Force. As he had expected Essex couldn’t say yes fast enough, now he was close to his goal. His only regret was that Logan’s son had escaped, but at least they had the daughter. He would have his revenge on her and Logan. He would get the boy some other time when his mother was once more at his side where she belonged and had no clue who he was anymore.

Turning he watched as Kitty was dragged off, last he heard she was the girlfriend of Logan’s son so he would make her suffer greatly as part of his revenge. A small part of him winced, as the girl along with the others had once been his friends and family, but he quickly shoved that side of himself aside. All that mattered was having Jean back at his side, whether she wanted it or not no longer mattered to his troubled mind. He turned and left to find Essex and keep an eye on him, he in his excitement at nearing his goal forgot about the camera just above the fridge that was filming everything. 

+XW+

(Earth-616, Main X universe)

Jean Grey sat in the kitchen of the mansion enjoying the brief silence she had right now, most of the mansions occupants were out right now doing various things. Gambit and Rogue were still regaining the closeness they had once shared. It was a long trying experience for them, even if they had gotten back together officially. Learning to trust one another on such a level was proving difficult after the events with Magneto, and the discovering of Gambit’s role in the Morlock massacre. The tension of all this was mixed in with Jean’s growing problems with her husband Scott. They had been growing ever since they had met her son with Logan from another dimension. He had arrived wounded and on the verge of death, but she had managed to help heal him and save his life. From there they had learned who he was, a very nerve racking experience for her as Scott ranted and raved about him being a liar.

That experience and her acceptance of Alexander as her son, no matter where he came from, had worsened the tension in her marriage to Scott. Logan’s return to the mansion full time added fuel to the flames, although he had kept his distance as best he could and had not pushed her boundaries like he used too. There now seemed to be an underlying buildup of sexual as well as romantic tension, far more than they had ever been between them and no one, especially Scott could ignore it. This had increased the arguments she was having with her husband, the fact she saw the same growing closeness between Scott and Emma Frost were of course ignored. She didn’t want to lose her marriage, but it was slowly slipping out of her hands, ignoring things probably wasn’t helping. 

More and more she saw Scott going to Emma for help in many aspects of his life, but she was certain he had not begun to cheat on her. Now that would have been a step too far, especially after all the time she had held true to her love for Scott no matter how a part of her wanted to go to Logan. She had never betrayed him. She couldn’t say the same for him although there were extenuating circumstances around that. Circumstances that still to this day had consequences for the X-Men as a whole but her in particular. Her clone Madelyne Pryor was still out there somewhere, the whole affair concerning her was a tragic one and one that still gave her nightmares.

Of course there were other things adding to the increased tension within the mansion, such as the uncertainty between Kurt and Kitty. Everyone in the team knew Kurt was in love with Kitty, and they knew Kitty was in love with Kurt. The problem was Kitty was too afraid to take the final step and admit she was in love, and that was causing Kurt a lot of pain and heartache. And it was slowly eroding the deep friendship they had between them, it was painful to watch. Combined with the other things that usually went on in the mansion, things were quickly reaching a breaking point. And she feared just what would happen when that breaking point came. In fact it sent chills down her spine just thinking about it at all. 

She was just about to get up and pour the remains of her drink into the sink when a column of fire appeared before her. She let out a startled curse as she dropped her cup and heard it smash. Quickly however she regained control of herself and she suddenly realized she had seen this before when Alexander had first arrived in their dimension. Was it possible Alexander was paying them a visit? Although she didn’t know why he would as this universe wasn’t his home. 

‘Maybe he just wants to check in on us?’ Jean thought. 

Finally the flames vanished showing it was indeed Alexander who had arrived, she took note of the fact he looked tired and wary and if she was not mistaken afraid of something. That was a far cry from the young man she had met a couple of months ago, something must have happened in his home dimension to bring him back here. 

Alexander began to sway, clearly drained from the journey to get here. She knew how taxing it could be on the system. She quickly moved forward and helped him into a nearby chair. He slumped into it and tried to get his bearings. She made him a glass of water which he quickly downed in one go, finally he seemed to be able to focus. 

“Hey mom, nice to see you again,” Alexander joked, but she could tell he was in no joking mood, his attempt fell flat. 

“I already know you are not here for a quick visit Alexander,” she responded with a mild tone that told him she knew something was up. “I can sense it all over you, and I see it in your eyes,” she added softly. “Now what has happened?” she asked.

Alexander let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and leaned into his seat before he answered. “Someone attacked the mansion. They knew every defense we had set up and how to get past them,” he started. “They were preceded by a monster I’ve never seen before. It had mutant powers including a regenerative healing factor that made it all but impossible to take down,” he explained. 

Jean eyes widened a little as she listened to him explain things, this was not what she was expecting, but then it would have to be something bad for him to come back here. “Go on,” she pressed carefully.

“This thing took down mom, dad and Magneto before anyone else. It was almost as if it knew they were the most dangerous of the team,” Alexander told her with a dark look in his eyes. “It was on us before we ever knew we were under attack. Magneto and mom went down first, both taken by surprise, but mom managed to tell me to find help mind to mind before she fell unconscious,” he continued. “Dad charged it, but he quickly was put down by what I am guessing was a telepathic attack. I ran to warn the others,” he admitted with a little shame creeping into his voice. 

“This thing must have had a speed like ability as well as it got to them before I could, somehow it even took down Juggernaut,” he stated and Jean could feel the shock he still felt at that fact. “Lara I found been dragged away by uniformed troops I have never seen before. I couldn’t help her as they were too many and the others were still in danger so I kept going even though it went against every fiber of my being,” he growled as his anger over the attack began to surface. “I found Kitty last, she was out cold at the foot of the monster,” he paused here and Jean felt the love and protective feelings he had for his Kitty Pryde. “I had a split second to choose what to do, mom’s last command to me was to find help and I chose to come here knowing you would help me plus it saved me from being put down by the creature as well,” he finished finally.

Jean was greatly troubled by everything she had been told, someone of great power had attacked the mansion in Alexander’s dimension and taken down the whole team bar him, which included Juggernaut. She was still wondering how Cain Marko came to be working for Magneto as an X-Man in Alexander’s dimension. The Juggernaut she knew in this dimension despised his stepbrother Charles Xavier and was constantly trying to destroy him. ‘So why would he join the organization his step brother inspired in another dimension?’ Shaking her head to clear those thoughts she focused on more important matters.

‘Professor, Alexander has returned and he has brought dire news of his home dimension and has asked for our assistance,’ she telepathically sent to Xavier who had remained in the mansion in his office. 

Xavier paused in the middle of reading an update of the location of Magneto, gathered by Jean, Scott and Kurt on their last mission out. He always liked to know where Eric was, you never knew when he might launch another of his plans for world domination for mutant kind. His old friend had fallen far from their once shared noble goals. Seeing a version of his friend who like him worked to bring peace to the world had made him remember what a good man Eric could be given the right circumstances. He listened to what Jean was reporting and wondered just how bad things were. Jean quickly filled him in on what Alexander had told her.

‘This sounds disturbing Jean, especially if there is something in Alexander’s dimension that could defeat my stepbrother so easily,’ Xavier thought back to her and even his mental tone sounded disturbed. ‘I will summon everyone back to the mansion so they can all hear this. I just hope this doesn’t add to the tension already rife within the group,’ he added. 

‘I think that is a pale hope right now Professor,’ Jean shot back before she cut the connection. “Xavier is summoning the rest of the team back. They should be all here soon. For now you need to rest Alexander,” she told him in her best parental voice she could manage. 

It was almost amusing she had practice being a mother even when she did not have kids of her own yet. At least none she had given birth too. Yet she had Rachel, her daughter with Scott from one possible future. She could also be considered the mother of Cable even though he was the son of Madelyne and Scott, but as Madelyne was her clone they had the same DNA hence she could be Cable’s mother as well. Then of course there was Alexander, her son with Logan from another dimension. Although not of her womb, he was her son in every way possible and she accepted him as just that, much to Scott’s annoyance. Had his sister Lara come with him, then she was certain she would have accepted her as well as another daughter. It was good practice interacting with them for when she was ready for kids of her own, that is if her marriage to Scott lasted that long of course. 

Alexander tried to protest as she shook off that last morbid thought, but she would not let him get a word in. Finally he gave up and allowed her to lead him to one of the guest bedrooms where he could lie down and rest. After closing the doors she stared at them for a few minutes, she had a feeling this mission wasn’t going to be easy for quite a few reasons. 

+XW+

(Erin’s bar)

Logan was playing pool with Gambit as they both tried to wind down after a rather hectic week. The team seemed to be falling apart at the seams no matter how much they all tried to stop it. There were so many internal problems going around that it seemed like things would explode at any moment. So far things hadn’t come to that, but he had a feeling it was only a matter of time. He watched as Gambit potted the last red ball, which gave him the opening to pot the black and win the game. 

“Ah it seems lady luck is in my corner tonight Mon ami,” Gambit said with a smile. 

The Cajun had gotten back a lot of his old swagger and confidence since Rogue had taken him back. Their relationship was still not as it once was and he doubted it would be for some time yet, but at least the man had hope, and that was better than most had these days. He downed a bit of his bottle of beer before replying. 

“Play the game gumbo,” he shot back with his own grin. “Stalling isn’t cool,” he added in a teasing tone. 

Gambit chuckled and shook his head knowing Logan was trying to bait him and thus make him miss the shot. ‘Not likely,’ he thought. As he lined up the shot on the black, he focused as hard as he could. He made the shot and watched in satisfaction as the black went down. He glanced at Logan who just shook his head before he went to head to the bar to buy the next round as agreed. Logan quickly came to a dead stop as he heard the professor’s mental voice asking him to return to the mansion, he glanced at Gambit and noted he must have heard it too. 

“Guess the next round will have to wait Gumbo,” Logan said in his more serious tone as he turned and headed for the door with Gambit right behind him. 

“That’s okay Logan. I’ll put it on my tab for next time,” Gambit shot back with a wide smirk as they both mounted their bikes and started their journey home. 

‘Logan, Alexander has returned,” Logan almost swerved off the road as he heard Jean’s mental voice suddenly speak up. “He has big trouble in his dimension and he has asked for our help,’ she told him.

‘Understood darling, on my way,’ Logan responded as he increased the speed of his bike. Gambit quickly took note and did the same. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion)

Jean fought to keep her face neutral as Scott appeared, having already been on his way back to the mansion before the others, hearing Logan call her ‘darling’ in that particular way just then had caused her to react in what was becoming a familiar pattern for her. She had to be very careful to keep control of herself, especially in front of Scott. She also had to keep control of the physic bond she shared with him as it would not do for him to sense her emotions at those times. 

“The Professor told me the brat from the other dimension is back,” Scott all but growled out. Jean could tell her husband wasn’t pleased by this development one bit. It annoyed her that he could never put his hatred of Logan and now Alexander aside. 

It was kind of odd really that Logan, the man most would call out of control, could easily control himself not to lash out at Scott and just accept her choice to be with him. He had at first pushed her boundaries and challenged her, but once she had married Scott, Logan had backed off and suffered silently in the background although sometimes it got too much for him and he left the mansion for a short time. However Scott, who everyone would say was in perfect control of himself, could never stop his hatred of Logan coming through. That was no more evident than when Alexander had arrived here, hearing he was the son of a Jean Grey and Logan from another dimension had driven him mad. No, Scott had no objectivity at all where Logan was concerned; he never had since he realized Logan was in love with her.

“Give it a rest Scott, please,” Jean responded with a tired sigh. “Yes Alexander has returned because he needs our help to rescue his friends and family,” she told him calmly. 

Scott just glared before turning and walking back the way he had come, not liking the tone Jean had used with him. He decided to wait for Emma to arrive, over the last few months he had grown closer to the blond haired woman. She had helped take his mind off his growing problems with Jean, and also of his ever increasing hatred of Logan. Jean watched him go and decided to take a short rest too. She doubted there would be much time once the whole team had arrived. 

+XW+

(Ridge-Well Park) 

Rogue sat under a tree trying to focus on the book she was reading. By her side was Storm resting, while Kitty was messing around with Rachel and Rahne. They had decided to have a girl’s day out, although Jean had refused to leave. They all knew the red head wanted a bit of peace and quiet from everyone and they didn’t begrudge her one bit. In a sense they could all do with a bit of quiet time to themselves, and they were all certain they would get their time. Unfortunately at that moment in time the Professor’s mental voice cut into her thoughts asking them all to return to the mansion. She heard Storm moan in protest, while Kitty and the others frowned. 

“Damn it, we’ve only been out for a couple of hours,” Rachel moaned as she moved to grab her things.

“You knew the life of an X-Man was never one of relaxation,” Storm stated as she stretched, having at least enjoyed an hour’s rest at least. “You knew that before you turned up in our time,” she added. 

“I know Storm,” Rachel agreed as she packed her things alongside Rahne and Kitty. “But after the week we just had you’d think we’d have earned a break,” she muttered to which Kitty nodded her agreement. 

“I used to think like that when I first joined the team,” Rogue assured her. “I quickly learned the life of an X-Man is one of constant struggle with little time for relaxation,” she stated as they all headed back to the van they had used to get here.

“Which totally blows,” Kitty mumbled half-heartedly. 

“Cheer up Kitty, for all we know there is nothing going on that needs us to go out and fight some super powered villain,” Storm said with a soft smile as she started the engine and headed out of the parking lot. “The Professor might just want to tell us some important news,” she suggested in a tone that she didn’t believe a word she had just said. 

“Yeah Storm like I’m foolish enough to believe that,” Kitty shot back sarcastically, but with no disrespect. “No this sounded serious,” she stated.

“Yeah I got that vibe too,” Rahne agreed as she wondered what had happened now. She wasn’t alone in thinking that.  
2\. Chapter 2

(X-Mansion)

Within an hour the last of the absent team members arrived back at the mansion. Bobby Drake calmly made his way to the main living room to be met by the annoyed stares of most of his team. Grinning sheepishly he quickly took a seat, he guessed staying out an half hour longer with his current girlfriend hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

“Thank you Bobby for finally showing up,” Xavier said in slight irritation well used to the youth’s childish spurts of stupidity. “Now that we are all here I would like, for those of you who were not here a few months ago, to meet Alexander Grey Logan,” he started before Bobby cut in. 

“Whoa Logan you have a kid you’ve been keeping hidden?” Bobby asked with a smirk, not seeing the dangerous look that appeared in Logan’s eyes. “And all that time you were trying to charm Jean out of her pants, you never thought to mention you had...” Bobby never got the chance to finish his sentence as he found his ability to talk cut off. 

“Silence Bobby right now before I let Logan rip you apart,” Rachel spat as she struggled to hold Logan in place. Jean was sat wide eyed which quickly turned to anger as well. 

“Easy Jean,” Scott ordered, wishing he could whack Bobby as well for his callus comments, even with as much anger/hatred as he had towards Logan he didn’t think the guy would intentionally hide the fact he had a child, especially if he was trying to get together with someone. He did his best to ignore the fact it was Jean he wanted to get with as his anger about that wouldn’t help right now. 

“If you would have let me finish Bobby I would have told you that while Alexander is the child of Jean and Logan, he is not from this dimension and thus did not come from our Jean’s womb,” Xavier stated with a hard look at the young mutant who was eyeing the still struggling Logan with unease. “I have warned you before that your quick mouth with get you into trouble one day Bobby,” he added. 

“I don’t like this guy,” Alexander stated coldly, not taking kindly to the insult against his father. “I don’t know who he is but I don’t like him,” he added.

“This is Bobby Drake, code name Iceman,” Kitty introduced him to the still silently sweating Bobby. “Sadly he thinks he is the ‘be all of everything.’ His mouth usually gets him into trouble just like it just did,” she explained. “So he was never a member of the team in your dimension?” 

“Nope, never seen him before in my life,” Alexander answered, having seen every record in the archives of who had been a member of the X-Men at one point or another. 

“Lucky you shugah,” Rogue muttered with a grin as Rachel finally got Logan to settle back down with a little mental persuasion from Jean. “Sometimes we wish Bobby wasn’t on the team,” she muttered teasingly at Bobby who now glared at her once he saw Logan wasn’t trying to gut him anymore. 

“Enough, now as I stated Alexander is from another dimension, one in which I was assassinated by a mutant who feared my dream of uniting humans and mutants together,” Xavier explained, stopping anymore talk. “He was, from what I am told, a fanatic. My early death inspired the Magneto of that world to take up my cause and it was he who created the X-Men and tried to find the way to bring both mutants and humans together in peace,” he informed them, causing Bobby to make a noise in protest. “The team in Alexander’s dimension is quite different from the one here. During an attack Alexander was injured and thus to save his life his mother sent him here where our Jean could use the Phoenix Force to save his life in time,” he went on. 

“Are we certain on the facts surrounding his tale Professor?” Beast inquired thoughtfully, as he was another of the team who hadn’t been present the last time Alexander had appeared. 

“Yes Hank we are,” Xavier assured them all. “Jean confirmed all the facts not only through her own powers, but also a full blood work and DNA check,” he told them. 

“So the kid is Jean and Logan’s kid genetically, but just not from this dimension,” Bobby muttered.

“Exactly Bobby,” Xavier confirmed relieved the boy had stopped playing up and gotten serious. “After a short time conversing with him, his mother appeared through astral projection and told how to send him home, with Jean and Rachel’s help we managed to get Alexander back where he belonged,” he finished. 

“So why is Alexander back Professor?” Kurt inquired from where he was leaning against the chair Rahne was in. He was doing his best to focus on the topic at hand, but he kept getting distracted by Kitty who sat off to the side. He was still trying to find a way to work things out with the girl he loved. 

Alexander told them everything he had told Jean when he had first arrived. His description of the monster who had led the attack had caused a grim silence to fall in the room as they came to realize the danger, especially when they realized this thing took down the Juggernaut so fast. Alexander wanted to get back home and rescue his friends and family quickly so he left some things out. Jean noticed this, but knew exactly what he was thinking and thus didn’t bring it up. 

“These people who followed the monster in, do you think they were controlling it somehow?” Beast inquired, quickly putting his mind to work on the problem of how to bring this thing down. 

“It would make sense Hank, but I didn’t have time to really see how they interacted with the creature,” Alexander responded with a slight nod of his head. 

“And you have no idea who was actually behind the attack do you?” Scott asked, looking for any insight into who they may actually face, because one thing was sure they were going to help Alexander. Xavier had already told him that when he had learned of Alexander’s return, he didn’t exactly like the idea but this was Xavier’s call.

“No I don’t, but I’m hoping when we return to my dimension we can check out the security feeds and see if they have picked up anything,” Alexander answered. 

“I thought you said they had prior knowledge of the mansion’s security systems so would they even show up on camera?” Gambit spoke up from beside Rogue. 

“I am hoping whoever is behind is might have slipped up and forgotten about one of the camera’s at the least,” Alexander replied, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “If not then the only way to find them will be for your Professor to use Cerebro, thankfully you had already built it in my dimension before you were assassinated,” he added. 

“Exactly how are we going to get to your dimension Alexander?” Logan inquired as he finished off his cigar. 

“Same way I got here, however with such a large group we need more than three people to transport us all,” Alexander answered. “As Mom and Rachel can tell you, the transport from one dimension to another is draining,” he explained. “And we do need a large team, I will not take chances with my family and friends lives on the line by taking a small team,” he stated seriously.

“There is only one other Phoenix host in our dimension Alexander and she is not a full host,” Rachel cautioned him. “She has some of Phoenix inside her, but nowhere near where Mom and I are or where I suspect your mother is,” she added. 

“Then it must be blocked, one is either a host or you are not,” Alexander responded. “There is no middle ground Rachel,” he assured her. 

“Now just a minute, hold it right there,” Scott cut in angrily. “You are not suggestion we somehow unblock it for her?” he demanded to know. “This woman is a danger to everyone and us in particular,” he told him beginning to get worked up. 

Alexander frowned at the way One-Eye was acting. He glanced at his mother who had her eyes closed as if relieving a painful memory. Reaching out with his telepathy he delved into Summer’s mind. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but he needed information on whoever this fourth host was. While he wasn’t as powerful as his mother and sister with his telepathy, he knew how to use the small talent he had and worked his way into Summer’s head and began to see the memories of this Madelyne Pryor. 

Jean felt the intrusion as soon as Alexander managed to get into Scott’s mind through her mental link to him, she frowned and was about to say something when Alexander pulled out. He had a look of disgust on his face as he looked at Scott, and she knew he had seen exactly what had happened between them and Madelyne. 

“And I thought you couldn’t go any lower Summers. You married this woman thinking she was Mom and then dumped her and your child when it was revealed she was a clone?” Alexander spat as he stood and glared at the older man who froze in discomfort at first and then began to get angry. “You threw her away, allowing for her to be corrupted and your child to be kidnapped and you have the balls to be pissed at her because she wants revenge?” he snapped. 

“Alexander enough,” Jean cut in before Scott launched himself at the younger man only to be intercepted by Logan who had been expecting such an action when Alexander had said what he had. Hell Logan agreed with his son on all his points, but he could have been a little more subtle, this subject was highly explosive within the team. 

“How dare you fucking read my mind without permission, you piece of shit?” Scott cursed as he tried to escape Logan’s grip and get his hands on this kid who dared to stir up memories he would rather forget. 

“You had no right to do that Alexander,” Xavier cut in, now moving forward to head off any more shouting. “You must never use your powers against someone without permission or cause,” he stated with a slight glare. 

“In my view Professor it was necessary,” Alexander retorted. “I like to know who I’m getting involved with, plus I needed to know why this other host of the Phoenix seems to stir such troubled emotions in you all,” he explained. “I knew One-Eye could be a bastard, but I had no idea how far he could sink. This Madelyne Pryor is the way she is directly because of his actions,” he stated, locking his gaze on Summers. 

“You do not have all the facts Alexander,” Jean finally spoke up having been paralyzed and unable to decide how to act here. 

On one hand Scott was her husband and she didn’t take slights against him lightly, on the other there was a part of her who did not approve of the way he had acted where Madelyne was concerned. Alexander was correct, the whole thing could have been handled much better than they had done and maybe just maybe if they had then Madelyne might not be their enemy now. 

“I forbid you to do that again do you understand me?” Jean demanded as she moved closer to him as the others watched the rather tense standoff as mother and son stared at one another. “I said do you understand me?” she repeated. 

“Okay okay I understand,” Alexander finally backed down from what he could tell was a very pissed of Jean Grey. He had seen his mother angry many times back home and knew how far he could push her. This Jean was different than his mother and thus he had no clue how far he could push things. 

Jean continued to stare at him for a few minutes and she saw exactly what he was thinking, she was still very much unknown to him. She was his mother genetically, but she was not the mother who had raised him or trained him, he had to remember he was not in his own dimension. That proved, no matter how well they had gotten on last time he had come here, that they were still strangers to each other. Scott watched Jean back the little shit down, but he still wanted to pound him for getting inside his head. 

“Now please everyone sit back down and we will continue this discussion,” Xavier ordered. “That includes you Scott,” he added as Logan pushed the other man back a bit. “Now Alexander, are you seriously considering we give Madelyne Pryor full access to the most destructive force there is?” he asked, turning back to Alexander who was now leaning against a wall. 

“Yes I’m Professor as the Phoenix has the power to heal her,” Alexander answered as he ignored the glare Scott was still giving him. “Whoever fucked with her mind and I know someone did from Summer’s memories, they helped push her over the edge when she was at her lowest after he abandoned her,” he went on as he moved and sat back down. “The Phoenix can reverse whatever it was that was done to her, if we can catch her in a triangle of power from mine, Mom’s and Rachel’s own Phoenix power,” he explained. 

“I don’t understand, how will that help?” Beast inquired. “Madelyne is what I would call insane,” he pointed out. 

“Her personality has been altered by outside forces, granted her downfall began with what went down with Summers and Mom, but still without that push she might not have ended up as what you call the Goblin Queen,” Alexander shot back. “By combining our powers, Mom, Rachel and I can use Phoenix to undo whatever it was that was done to her and maybe clean up her mental faculties and remind her of who she used to be,” he explained to them all as best as he could. “It’s a long shot, but we need her to get us all to my dimension,” he stated firmly. 

“I can’t believe any of you are considering this. She is a raving psychotic,” he spat.

“I agree with Scott, Pryor is not mentally stable enough to handle that kind of power,” Emma spoke up, wanting to support the man she had fallen in love with. “And Alexander has not given us a guarantee that he can heal her, or even if she is healed that she will be willing to help us,” she argued. “I believe this is too great a risk,” she flatly stated. 

“Risk Frost is part of our lives every damn day,” Logan stated with a frown at the blond who he did not trust one bit. “If they can heal her and put her back into some kind of right mind, one that will stop her coming after us then I say it is worth the risk,” he added to.

From there everyone started to argue one way or another. Only Jean and Xavier held back. Alexander rubbed his head as time was wasted, while they sat here and argued. He knew proposing what he had would be controversial, but if he wanted to get the whole group to come with him they needed the extra power Pryor could give them. Xavier rubbed his head as he felt a headache start to form, even with his power tightly controlled he could feel the echoes of anger or fear from his students, he was sure Jean had the same problem.

“ENOUGH,” he finally commanded with enough force to shock everyone into silence. It was a rare thing for the Professor to lose his temper, even rarer for him to shout at them all. “That is enough from all of you, I know this is a highly controversial subject, but we have been asked for help to save lives and I intend to render that help,” Xavier informed them in a tightly controlled voice. “Now I am certain that Alexander, Jean and Rachel can do what he has suggested and Logan has a point if we can heal Madelyne then it is our responsibility to try,” he told them all. 

“But Professor,” Scott tried to argue but Xavier quickly cut him off. 

“I have made my decision Scott and it is final,” Xavier stated. “If we can heal her and stop her from being our enemy, then it is a goal I’m willing to take a risk on,” he told him bluntly and with a pointed stare that told Scott he wouldn’t change his mind.

“And so am I,” Jean spoke up, finally having made her mind up. 

Madelyne had never asked for what was done to her, for most of her existence she had believed she was Jean Grey. She had never known she was a clone and Scott’s actions after the revelation she was a clone destroyed her and as Alexander had said someone had then pushed her over the edge. 

Maybe in the grand scheme of things they owed her this, Scott more than any of them. With Jean’s agreement as well as Rachel’s, the rest of the team agreed to the plan even if some of them were still unsure about the potential for success. 

“Now while you are dealing with Madelyne I’m going to try and find us a little more aid,” Xavier stated. “I will locate Madelyne and transmit her location to the blackbird,” he added before he turned and left. 

“I wonder who the Professor is going to ask for help,” Kitty mused aloud as the group broke up to get ready for the mission. 

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out soon enough,” Kurt assured her before he quickly turned and left.

Kitty watched him go and let out a sigh. A couple of months ago they would have walked to their rooms together. Now they could barely stand being in the same room. Not because they didn’t like one another anymore, but because of the tension that had grown between them. Her refusal to take the plunge and admit her feelings to Kurt had begun to affect their friendship. Rahne and Rachel had tried multiple times to convince her to just admit it, but with no luck so far. She slowly made her way to her room, ignoring the pointed looks she got from Rahne and Rachel as they passed her.

+XW+

(Earth-619, secret hideout)

Scott Summers stood overlooking the huge lab complex Essex had control of. He knew the man had government contacts, but this was a little beyond what he had expected. He was watching as each of his former colleagues was processed, blood and genetic samples were extracted at the same time as there were logged into the computers. He ignored any disquiet he felt at seeing his former friends abused like this. They had turned on him when they had welcomed that feral animal into their home. They had made it worse when they had done nothing to stop Jean falling prey to his machinations. They hadn’t even blinked an eye when she had dumped him and become a whore for Logan. At least that was how he saw things, well soon Jean would once again be at his side and she would never leave it again. He would have his revenge on Logan, and his children and on the X-Men for allowing it all to happen. 

Down below Nathaniel Essex watched Scott Summers for a few seconds before he turned away. The fool actually thought he was going to give him Jean Grey back now that he had her. He wanted to laugh at the utter gullibility of the man. Jean Grey was the pinnacle of his research as she held within her the Phoenix force. No he would never let her go now, he would alter her memories as he agreed to do, but he would alter them so she would serve him and him alone from now on. Maybe he would do the same to some of the other X-Men he had captured. They were after all some of the strongest mutants alive.

+XW+

(Earth-616, main X universe)

Xavier watched as the blackbird lifted off from its secret hangar and hoped he had made the right call in approving Alexander’s idea. As he had stated it was a risk, but still if they could succeed then it would be worth it as then Madelyne would be healed and no longer their enemy. That was something that would help them in the long run, turning he headed back to Cerebro. Time for a little talk with Eric, hopefully he could convince his old friend to help for this mission. It would not be the first time they had joined forces for a common course or the last he was sure. He had a feeling Eric’s presence might be needed. 

It would not be easy to convince Eric to help them, but he felt certain due to the circumstances he could talk his old friend into it. After all he would be helping himself in another dimension in their mission of helping Mutant kind, one way or the other. 

‘Let us hope Eric is in a cooperative mood,’ Xavier thought briefly before he put the helmet on and projected his thoughts outward to the location Jean, Scott and Kurt had given for Magneto’s new base. 

+XW+

(Brotherhood’s hideout)

Eric Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto, was at his desk resting when he felt a sudden pressure in his mind. He knew it could mean only one thing, his old friend Charles Xavier wished to talk to him. He glanced at his helmet that rested on his desk that could break the contact, before deciding to see what Charles wanted as at the moment he had no plans for an attack. Thus Charles had no reason to seek him out for a confrontation, something else must have happened. 

Closing his eyes he listened carefully for Charles’s mental voice. 

‘Hello Eric,’ Xavier said in greeting. ‘I have need of your help for a very dangerous mission,’ he stated. ‘A mission to save a version of the X-MEN in another dimension, one in which I was killed when we were still young men,’ he explained much to Eric’s surprise. ‘It seems my death inspired you to take up my cause and you created the X-Men to unite humans and mutants together. You even brought your daughter Lorna into the group,’ he continued. ‘Now they are all in danger, having been captured, all bar one a mutant we met a couple of months ago,’ there was a pause in the mental contact here and Eric guessed the meeting had been a charged one. ‘He is the son of Jean Grey and Logan from that dimension, he managed to escape to ask for our help against whoever took his group captive,’ he added.

‘Why should I aide you Charles?’ Eric inquired, cutting into Xavier’s explanation. He was intrigued by what he was being told, but he didn’t see why he should help. 

‘Because Eric you will be aiding your mission of helping mutant kind, it does not matter that it will be in another dimension,’ Xavier responded quickly. ‘Also if the creature that led the attack and disabled all the X-men including Juggernaut, whom it put down with ease, exists in our dimension, we need all the information we can on it in case either of us encounters it,’ he informed him. ‘We need to know who created it and how, what powers it has and more than anything how to bring it down,’ he stated.

Eric frowned as he listened to Xavier’s argument and had to agree the idea of a creature who could so easily defeat not only the X-Men, but also the Juggernaut with such ease would be a great danger if it existed in both dimensions. Whoever controlled this beast could be part of an anti-mutant force, the very thought concerned him. 

‘Very well Charles, you have made your point and I will aide you,’ he finally decided as he stood up and picked up his helmet. ‘I will be there with Wanda and Pietro in an hour,’ he told him before he put his helmet on, cutting the contact between them and leaving to find his son and daughter. 

As he walked through the base he knew there was another reason why he had agreed to help, hearing that in this other dimension he had brought his other daughter Lorna into the X-Men. It had made him worry she was in great danger for say what you will about the Master of Magnetism, but he loved his children. It did not matter which dimension they were from, and helping another version of himself in his quest was the smart thing to do. Who knows, one day he may need help and he could then call in a favor.  
3\. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Blackbird)

Logan sat near the back of the sleek craft and wondered how they would manage to get the drop on Madelyne Pryor. She may be, as Scott pointed out, insane, but she was just as powerful as Jean herself was. She could sense them coming before they could attack, unless of course Jean in combination with Rachel and Alexander could block her from picking them up. He subconsciously pulled a cigar out from a hidden compartment near his seat and prepared to light it up, then he caught Jean’s rather pointed look and giving her a grin he put the cigar back as he knew she didn’t like him smoking in the jet. 

Jean had to suppress her own grin as she turned back to the front of the jet. Logan had an effect on her which she could never really explain. From the moment she had met him a more playful and daring person had come out, before Logan had arrived she had always kept herself under tight control and rarely did things spontaneously. She had followed a set pattern, when that pattern began to change her friends and Scott especially had taken notice. To Scott it was the worst thing that could have happened, he didn’t like the changes he saw in her and he let her know it. But there was nothing he could do to stop it. Jean’s interactions with Logan continued and she liked to believe she was a more complete woman thanks to those interactions. 

“So what’s the plan?” Bobby inquired from his seat. “Pryor is not someone who is easy to sneak up on,” he reminded them all. 

“No she isn’t Bobby,” Jean agreed with a nod of her head. “Which is why I’m going to go in there first, to put her attention on me while the rest of you sneak up on her and can get into a position for an attack,” she added. 

“Bad idea Jeannie,” Logan argued before Scott could put forth his own protest. “You go in first and she’ll blast you into a million pieces before we can do anything,” he argued as she turned to look back at him. “Same with one eye,” he went on with a jerk of his head in Scott’s direction. “I’ll go in and get her attention; she won’t be able to do me any real lasting harm,” he said confidently. “And you might be needed to help keep her from sensing the rest of you,” he finished. 

“I agree mother, I don’t know how precise this Pryor’s telepathic powers are or what it would take to block her sensing us,” Alexander said in support of his father’s view. “Best we take no chances, if we are to do this as quickly as possible as well. We need to ensure we catch her off guard,” he told her as she narrowed her eyes at him and Logan. 

“As much as I don’t want to agree with the little shit on anything, I think he is right Jean,” Scott growled out. He was still very angry over Alexander reading his mind without his permission, he was even more angry than the memories he had stirred had been some of his worst. 

The whole Madelyne Pryor business wasn’t something he ever wanted to remember, his guilt over marrying her in his mistaken belief she was Jean as well as his actions once he found out the truth always haunted him. He knew he had acted in the worst possible way. Abandoning her and their child had been the worst thing he had ever done in his life and he knew that. The fact his actions had, as Alexander had stated, pushed Pryor over the edge enough to be corrupted, by whoever it was responsible for that event, shamed him. It was made even worse that the son he had sired with Pryor had been kidnapped. That he was now the warrior from the future called Cable, made no difference. What Alexander had done had dredged all that guilt and shame up. It made him hate the kid even more than he already did after their last encounter. 

Jean glanced between Logan, Alexander and Scott for a few minutes before she reluctantly agreed that Logan was correct. Madelyne would probably attack as soon as she saw her and the same goes for Scott. Logan however was another thing entirely. Madelyne was an exact clone of her right down to her emotions of that time, which included her love for Scott. It also included her lust of that time for Logan himself, which she knew from personal experience, would only grow more powerful as time went by. She suspected Madelyne harbored an attraction to Logan as she had at that time. She refused to admit how she felt about Logan at this moment in time, but knowing how she felt she believed Madelyne would not attack Logan right away. 

“Ok Logan you win,” Jean finally conceded. “Just be careful, she may not have the full power of the Phoenix behind her, but it is enough to hurt you as we know from personal experience,” she warned him and was thankful when Logan nodded in acceptance of that warning. 

Her brief time as the Dark Phoenix had shown them all just how affective it could be against any of the X-Men which included Logan, she was just thankful she had not caused any lasting harm to her friends. But she knew that her power had left an actual scar on Logan’s body, something that did not fade even after his healing factor had kicked in. That knowledge was known only to her and Logan himself, that he remembered that fact relieved her. 

“Even if we catch her off guard, the minute we attack she will retaliate,” Kitty pointed out. “And it will not be an easy fight, no matter what our plan is,” she stated.

“Half-pint has got a point,” Logan said in agreement. “Madelyne is a tricky enemy to fight. She may not have the full power of the Phoenix, but she has enough to be dangerous,” he stated. 

“This is why it is important that when the attack starts Mom, Rachel and I are in position to launch our own attack from a triangle position,” Alexander spoke up. “If we can hit her first time out, then the fight should be as short one with any luck,” he added.

“And when does our luck ever run that good in any reality?” Rogue asked in a sarcastic manner as she leaned her head against Gambit’s shoulder while ensuring she didn’t touch his skin. 

Alexander grinned and nodded as he realized she had made a good point. The X-Men’s battles were never easy and there had been a few times when it seemed they may not actually win. Going up against a Phoenix host even one who had only half the connection, wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Still if he was to have any chance of saving his family and friends, they had to succeed and the quicker they dealt with Madelyne Pryor the better their chances were of succeeding. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion)

Xavier looked up as he finally sensed that Eric and his children had arrived, well this would be interesting he thought. He quickly moved to greet them. He slowly wheeled himself to the door to find his guests already inside and waiting for him. 

“Hello old friend,” Magneto said in greeting and a small smile.

“Eric, I thank you for agreeing to help out with this,” Xavier responded. “I know our disagreements of late have been the cause of much resentment between us, but they have never stopped us from allying when needed,” he continued calmly. “This is one of those times, especially if that beast Alexander described exists in this reality,” he added. 

“I agree, the idea of something strong enough to defeat even the Juggernaut with such ease as well as myself and so many other mutants is disturbing,” Magneto agreed. “If it has indeed been created by one of our enemies that exist in both dimensions then we need as much information about it as we can get. Our future may depend on it,” he added in a tone that told Xavier Magneto was dead serious about this matter. 

“I agree, we will leave as soon as my team returns with our last member who must be healed first,” Xavier replied with a nod of his head. “If they can succeed in their mission,” he paused as he really didn’t know if Alexander’s plan to heal Madelyne would work. 

Magneto sensed his old friend’s unease and wondered who the last member of their team was, and what he meant by healed. Xavier sensed his friend’s thoughts and decided to explain everything to him. He was certain Eric would be just as uncertain as the majority of the X-Men as to whether Pryor could be healed. 

+XW+

(Goblin Queen’s hideout)

Logan walked calmly into the hidden cave hideout of Madelyne Pryor and hoped she wasn’t in a fighting mood. If she was in such a mood then she wasn’t going to be caught unaware and their plan would fail. He paused at the very entrance of the room where his senses told him Pryor would be. He felt a slight pleasant touch in his mind which he knew to be Jean. That more than anything made him ready to face her clone. Madelyne was a dangerous enemy in that she could use Jean’s memories and features to fool anyone, and although his senses could tell one from the other that didn’t stop him from being affected by being in her presence for any length of time. 

Madelyne looked up as she sensed a presence she hadn’t sensed since her last battle with the X-Men. Leaning forward she watched as Logan appeared an instant later just as she remembered him. She frowned, wondering what had brought the feral mutant to her. She hadn’t had any run-ins with the X-Men in a year, having grown tired of being defeated. Even more so she had grown tired of seeing her husband Scott with Jean Grey, the woman she had once believed herself to be so long ago. Snarling at the mere thought she unleashed a wave of energy that made the room darken. Logan did nothing but continue to move towards her, even though she knew he must have felt the power flow over him. 

Jean also felt the power twist through the wall she was using as cover. It took all of her control not to react to the perceived threat to Logan. She already gave in to the urge to briefly touch Logan’s mind before he entered Madelyne’s presence. She glanced at Scott who seemed very uneasy, not that she blamed him. He was about to come face to face with the biggest mistake he had made in his life, she did not envy him. But the fact that Madelyne was her clone made it just as much her mistake as well, even though she had nothing to do with how she had been cloned. 

‘I’m in position mom,’ Alexander’s mental voice broke into her thoughts and she shook them off and focused on the mission at hand. “Alexander is ready and in position,” she told Scott who nodded and informed the rest of the team who had split into three groups, one with Rachel, one with Alexander and the rest with her. 

“Now we just need Rachel in place and we can move,” Scott muttered knowing he had to keep quiet or Madelyne might hear them. 

Logan looked up at Madelyne and paused as he noted just how much flesh she was showing, her costume was almost none existent and her breasts were proudly on display although not completely visible as they were covered somewhat by the cut up dress she was wearing. Her lower half was covered by a low cut dress and she wore a cape. The majority of her body was shown in all its glory, his body reacted, but it wasn’t Madelyne he saw but Jean in her place. He had to struggle to clear his mind of the pleasing image as he didn’t have time to indulge in fantasies and Jean was probably monitoring his thoughts. He doubted she would be pleased by what he was seeing. Taking a breath he kept walking. 

Jean blushed as she had indeed been monitoring Logan’s thoughts. She had seen exactly what he had imagined in his mind after seeing Madelyne’s flimsy costume. Seeing herself basically in Madelyne’s place in front of Logan in such a costume was arousing her, her own mind was feeding on Logan’s fantasies. But this was no time for them to be messing around. She forced herself to push those thoughts away just as Logan was doing. 

“You okay Jean?” Scott inquired as he took note of her flushed state.

“Yes, just nervous,” Jean quickly responded, slamming every mental shield she knew in place to keep anything leaking through the physic bond she shared with Scott. He didn’t need to know just how Logan’s fantasies affected her. That wouldn’t help matters, especially right now. 

“Ah Logan, long time,” Madelyne spoke up, making everyone quiet down and pray she hadn’t somehow picked them up. 

“How have you, Red?” Logan shot back as calmly as he could. 

“What are you doing here Logan?” Madelyne demanded to know as she stood up, ignoring his question as she reached out with her powers to check the surrounding area. She couldn’t pick up anything. It seemed Logan had come alone which intrigued her. 

Logan shrugged before answering. “Had some trouble with Oneeye and needed some time away from the mansion. Watching him and Jean makes me ill,” he told her. Jean’s breath hitched as she sensed the truth in Logan’s statement, seeing her with Scott twisted Logan up inside. But he kept it bottled up inside, knowing she would not approve of his feelings. She had never believed the pain he experienced when he saw her and Scott could be so potent. He was always careful never to allow her to feel it, but with his focus on Madelyne his feelings and thoughts were leaking through to Jean, who was keeping a close monitor on him. 

“So you came to see me because for all intense and purposes I’m Jean, only I despise Scott Summers just as much as you do,” Madelyne inquired as she stepped down from her throne and began to walk around Logan. “You came here for something. Me perhaps?” she asked. “Is that it Logan, you want my body?” she asked with a slight purr in her voice as she ran her hands down her body in a seductive manner. “Her body,” she added. 

Logan slammed his eyes closed as he did everything he could to control the sudden instinct to take Madelyne in his arms. She wasn’t Jean and he wouldn’t be fooled into thinking she was. Jean felt the conflict suddenly ignite in Logan. She reached out without thinking and began to help him to regain control of his emotions and his more primal urges, which she could sense Madelyne had ignited with her powers. She could feel the twisted energies of Madelyne’s powers trying to sway Logan into taking her into a heated embrace. Anger ignited in her at the idea and she fought harder to keep Logan in control of himself. 

Madelyne watched as Logan fought himself and she had to admit she was impressed with his resistance. Her powers should have ignited the primal spirit she knew Logan possessed and he should have taken her into his embrace by now. She began to frown as she continued to try and provoke Logan into something she knew he would never contemplate. She knew him well enough to know he only wanted Jean Grey. To him she was a completely different person and these days she would agree, but that didn’t mean she did feel the same lust for this man that had once filled Jean herself when she was created. 

“Give in to what you want Logan,” she said, trying to coax him into action. 

“N…not why I’m here Pryor,” Logan managed to gasp out as he battled himself and tried to remember the plan. 

‘Mom, we are in position,’ Rachel’s mental voice almost caused Jean to stop helping Logan, but she quickly regained control of herself. “Rachel is ready, all teams go,” she commanded, ignoring the fact Scott was beside her and he was team leader. In fact Scott was staring at her in shock at her giving orders instead of him. 

+XW+

(Earth-619, secret hideout)

Scott sat watching as Essex took blood and DNA samples from his former allies. He still felt a slight unease about doing this, but it was becoming easier to stomach as time went on. All he had to do was keep reminding himself that at the end, he would have Jean back where she belonged, at his side. He would also finally have his revenge on Logan, and those who refused to help him stop Logan seducing Jean away from him. 

Essex smiled as he watched the samples get collected. He could barely imagine the experiments he would be able to conduct now with so much blood and DNA from some of the most powerful mutants alive. He wasn’t going to rush this. He would take his time as there was only one X-man left free and he was no threat on his own. Soon he would begin to alter the memories of Jean Grey and the other X-Men into his personal guards. Summers just had no idea what he had allowed to happen or just how much power he had placed into his hands. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion)

Xavier sat and waited for his friend to digest everything he had told them about the mission his X-Men were currently on. He suspected Eric would be just as curious as he, if Madelyne Pryor could be healed fully as Alexander planned, just like he had originally thought. The mission was dangerous and yet if they planned to get the whole team transported to the alternate dimension, then they had to succeed. Wanda and Pietro just sat and waited for their father to speak, neither of them had much experience with the clone of Jean Grey, although they knew their father had encountered her a few times when he replaced Xavier as headmaster of the school for a short period of time.

“You play with fire Charles,” Magneto finally spoke. “Madelyne Pryor is dangerous. Her powers are not completely under her control and her access to the Phoenix Force, while slim, makes her one of our most dangerous adversaries even with a full team pitted against her,” he stated. “Her mind is cracked, easily manipulated by whatever it was that pushed her over the edge,” he added. “Yet this Alexander thinks he might be able to heal her with Jean and Rachel’s aide, but he is gambling that he is correct,” he said.

“I believe he is yes, however Alexander seems to know a lot about the Phoenix itself,” Xavier responded. “More than likely it is possible the Jean Grey of his reality knows more about Phoenix than we do ourselves. I’m willing to let them try if it only removes Madelyne as a threat, not just to us but the world as well,” he explained as his reason for even attempting this. “Plus Madelyne was a part of the X-Men, no matter how she became one of us and we owe her this for how we basically abandoned her when we found out she was a clone of Jean,” he stated.

Magneto smiled as Xavier spoke, no matter how much time had passed it seemed his friend would never change. He would always look to the brightest outcome of any situation they encountered, and he would always try to make up for any errors he perceived to have made. Even with all their arguments and conflicts over the years, he still admired that trait in his friend even if he sometimes felt it was naive. 

“If they can heal her then it will be a worthwhile fight Charles,” Magneto admitted with a nod of his head. “I just think it is a big risk,” he added.

“Yes I know Eric, but if we are all to get safely to Alexander’s dimension it is one we must take and a risk we must pull off,” Xavier concluded as he settled back in his wheelchair. Magneto nodded in agreement as Pietro went to make them all something to drink. Wanda however pulled a book from a nearby self and began to read as she hated waiting.  
4\. Chapter 4

(Goblin Queen’s hideout)

Madelyne Pryor was caught completely off guard as the X-Men appeared from all sides, turning to Logan to make him pay for deceiving her and lowering her guard when she should have known better. She used her powers to set the man on fire. Logan screamed as the flames burnt through his uniform and skin. Jean seeing this forgot the plan and unleashed her own powers flinging Pryor away from Logan who collapsed to the ground still screaming as the flames got hotter. Seeing this Bobby used his ice powers to put the flames out, leaving Logan lying on the ground missing quite a lot of skin. The other X-Men were quickly attacked by a swarm of goblins, clearly summoned by Madelyne.

“Well if it isn’t my darling sister,” Madelyne spat as she got back up from being flung backwards. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Logan rarely goes anywhere where you are not,” she taunted, knowing the true depth of feelings between the two. 

Whatever else she was going to say stopped when she noted Scott Summers standing side by side with the White Queen, taking note of the rather closeness of the two she began to wonder if Scott was straying. Reaching out with her telepathic powers, she smashed straight into Scott’s mind as she had one of her goblins pounce on Jean to distract her. Emma felt the intrusion, but could do little to help as she was attacked by two more goblins. Scott let out a scream of pain as his mind was invaded for a second time that night only this time it was not a gentle probe. 

Alexander cursed as the plan came apart from the very beginning, clearly Madelyne was far dangerous than he had believed even after being warned about her. He was in such a rush to get back home and rescue his family, he was making mistakes. Jumping over an oncoming goblin he slashed it with his claws and ran to where Logan was slowly healing his burnt skin. He could tell his father was in pain from the look in his eyes.

“I need you to distract her dad so I can get to Mom and Rachel and set up the three way strike with the Phoenix,” he told him. 

“Yeah no problem kid,” Logan replied with a grunt of pain as he pushed himself to his feet and noted Summers jerking around on the ground not far from them and Madelyne’s sole attention on him. 

Alexander saw the same thing, but didn’t even think of turning and running to where Rachel was being overwhelmed by a group of goblins, having been separated from the other X-Men. He dived straight into the fight swiping at the goblins as fast as he could. Rachel used the brief respite as the goblins turned on her half-brother to recollect herself and refocus her powers. She unleashed the Phoenix force and destroyed three of the goblins attacking them. Alexander unleashed his own Phoenix powers to destroy the other two. 

“We have to get to Mom and set up the triangle attack now before this fight gets any more out of hand,” Alexander told her. 

“You think?” Rachel shot back sarcastically. “I’ll go help Mom, you get that mad woman away from my father,” she ordered.

“Don’t need to as my dad is right on it,” Alexander replied as he jerked his finger behind him causing Rachel to turn just in time to see Logan collide with Madelyne even as his skin continued to heal from the fire that had consumed him. “Now let’s get to mom and get this mission done,” he shouted as he turned and ran towards where Jean was fighting three more goblins. 

Logan did his best to ignore the fact that Madelyne looked just like Jean as he fought her, it would do him no good to think he was actually hurting the woman he loved. 

Scott lay on the ground jerking every once in a while from his ex-wife’s attack, his brain felt like it had been boiled alive. He wanted to get up and help the others but his body refused to move, he had known this whole thing was a big mistake. But the Professor had been adamant of helping Alexander, as well as trying to heal Madelyne. Something he didn’t believe was possible, hearing a scream he turned to see Emma fall to the ground after being jumped by another goblin from behind even as she fought off two others. 

Beast also saw Emma fall and quickly began jumping over the attacking goblins he had been dealing with to reach her, scooping her up he jumped out of the way of another set of attacks that more than likely would have seriously wounded the young woman. Something he felt was the idea, it was almost as if Pryor had purposely singled out the blond telepath. He didn’t get far as more goblins seemed to surround him. “Oh dear,” he muttered as he placed Emma back on the ground and prepared to do his best to defend her.

“Beast duck,” Rogue commanded as she flew headlong at him. 

Ducking, Rogue flowed over where he had just been, into the oncoming goblins. Gambit and Kurt right behind her. Letting out a relieved sigh he quickly waded into the attack himself even as Kurt picked Emma up and teleported her away. Kitty soon arrived with Rahne and Storm to help combat the rather large group of goblins, Kurt teleported right back into the thick of the fighting next to Rahne who gave him a quick smile. 

Madelyne could feel there was more to this attack than she was seeing. Logan seemed intent on keeping her distracted from Jean who she could just see out of the corner of her eye surrounded by two teenagers. One she knew to be Jean’s daughter from the future, a fact that made her sick to her stomach. The other teen was unknown to her, but she could sense something familiar about him that put her senses on alert. She didn’t have any more time to dwell on it as Logan attacked her again, thus she didn’t see the three split up and head of into three separate directions which set up a triangulation attack. 

‘Logan, drive her into the middle of our line of sight,’ Jean projected into Logan’s mind and doing her best to ignore the pain she could feel within him. That Scott was also in pain also registered in her mind, but to her surprise Scott’s thoughts were all focused on Emma Frosts wellbeing. Madelyne picked up Jean’s surprise with ease, and decided to see if she could cause some real pain between the two after what she had found in Scott’s mind. 

“Don’t be too surprised Jean, it seems as if Scott has been getting a little too attached to Frost,” Madelyne stated as the goblins paused in their attack allowing the still standing X-Men a brief respite. “And while he hasn’t crossed the line yet, he will as his fantasies have all be about the blond haired witch,” she taunted her with a cruel smile. “He’s been going to her for all his problems about you and Logan and other things. Frost has been all too happy to help as she wants Scott for herself,” she added her smile growing. 

Jean’s eyes widened as she listened to her clone, losing sight of the fact that Madelyne was in position for the triangle attack. She glanced at Scott who was just now getting to his knees. He had a look on his face that showed her that the words Madelyne had spoken had more than some truth to them. Madelyne could feel the conflict ignite within Jean, it was a feeling she loved considering she still viewed Jean as the woman who took her husband from her. This was payback, long overdue in her mind. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion)

Xavier sat across the chessboard awaiting his friend’s next move, to pass the time he had decided to challenge his old friend to a chess game. It was something they used to do all the time when their friendship was still new. As they played now he realized how much he missed the simple pleasure of playing a game with a friend. 

“So Charles, how long do we wait until we go and check on your charges?” Eric inquired as he moved his knight. 

“I have great faith in their abilities to subdue Madelyne, and you should know that Eric,” Xavier responded as he looked at his own pieces and planned his own move. “But saying that, we both know Madelyne is not an easy enemy to defeat,” he pointed out before moving his bishop. 

“How true, still time is against us if you wish to save this Alexander’s version of your students,” Eric reminded him as he moved his own bishop. “We need to act and soon,” he stated. 

“I know that Eric, but we can do nothing without my X-Men succeeding in healing Madelyne. We just need to wait a little longer I’m sure,” Xavier shot back as he moved his other bishop and smiled. “Check,” he stated as he directed his smile at his old friend. 

“It seems you’ve lost none of your ability with this game my old friend,” Eric mused as he noted that Xavier had indeed won the game as he knocked his king over. 

“Indeed,” Xavier replied as he leaned back in his wheelchair. “And I must say you have improved your game quite a bit since our last match,” he said with a smile.

“How kind of you to say so Charles,” Eric said, catching the teasing tone in his old friend’s tone. “How about a rematch?” he suggested to which Xavier smiled and nodded in agreement. 

Pietro groaned and just flopped back into his chair in boredom, he hated it when things dragged. When his father had told him they were coming to help the X-Men, he had been pleased because usually they got into some very action packed adventures. But right now all they were doing was waiting, and if there was one thing he hated it was waiting for anything. His sister he noted was busy reading the book she had picked up from the nearby bookshelf, and she seemed to be enjoying it. 

“Do calm yourself Pietro,” Wanda said without looking up, having been aware of the growing impatience in her brother. “We will be in action soon enough. For now take the time to rest and prepare yourself,” she told him as she finally looked up and locked gazes with him. “It is clear from what father has said that this fight will not be as easy as those we have had before,” she pointed out. “So don’t be so cocky about the outcome,” she warned before turning back to her book. 

“Oh come on Wanda, I am sure we’ll win hands down,” Pietro responded only to get a resigned look in response from his sister. He just grinned at her before he got up and sped into the living room to watch some TV, hoping it would help pass the time more quickly. 

+XW+

(Goblin Queen’s hideout)

Scott could see it in Jean’s eyes that she knew Madelyne had been telling the truth about his feelings towards Emma, oh this didn’t look good. After all the arguments and accusations he had given her over the years about Logan, he knew once this mission was over he was going to be in deep shit. 

Jean’s body began to glow with the fire of the Phoenix as she felt her temper begin to boil at what she had just learned. After all of Scott’s supposed moral standing about her relationship with Logan he had basically done the same with Frost. 

Madelyne smirked as she felt Jean’s rage begin to boil. She could feel it flow all the way through her. ‘Oh this is going to be good,’ she thought.

‘No Mom, forget one eye and focus on the mission,” Alexander projected into Jean’s mind as he sensed the build up of anger within her. He didn’t care what happened to Summers, but right now they needed Jean to focus on the matter at hand or this was all for nothing. 

Jean heard her son through the cloud of anger still building within her. While it was a struggle she managed to push the anger aside. Madelyne had said Scott had not crossed the line, more than likely he, like her was on the precipice of doing something. It just told her more than ever that her marriage was failing, or more than likely had already failed. Turning away from Scott she focused on Madelyne who was smirking coldly at her, that just angered her further.

“Mother, he called you mother?” Madelyne said in surprise. “What trickery is this?” she inquired. “I knew about your daughter from the future, but how is it you now have a son here?” she demanded to know. She was very interested in the answer. 

“I’m her son in a different dimension,” Alexander spoke up, deciding to keep the clone of his mother talking. “But Summers isn’t my father,” he added with a glare at where Scott still kneeled. 

“Very interesting, and who is your father in that dimension?” Madelyne inquired with a raised eyebrow at the answer she had gotten. 

Alexander didn’t reply in words, he just raised his fist and popped his claws which caused an even bigger reaction from Madelyne as she realized just who had fathered the young man in front of her. The surprise of the revelation stopped Madelyne from picking up the telepathic signals between Alexander, Rachel and Jean. 

“Logan sired you,” Madelyne stated with a cold smirk at Scott who couldn’t help but glare back at her as he picked up the point she was making against him. “Well isn’t that interesting, sister?” she said turning to Jean who made sure not to give anything away. “Somewhere you and Logan actually make it,” she stated with another smirk. “How jealous you must be,” she taunted before turning to Logan who had backed away at Jean’s suitable prodding, so that she, Rachel and Alexander all had Madelyne in their sights. “And how it must burn you Logan, to know somewhere there is a you that finally won Jean Grey’s heart,” she said intending to hurt Logan with her words for setting up this attack by distracting her. 

Jean shifted slightly as she felt the words make their mark on Logan. The knowledge did indeed hurt him. She hadn’t realized just how much it had been bothering him, knowing about Alexander and his world had on one hand given him hope for his own chances here. But it had also reminded him just what was so out of reach. She wished she could say something to ease his pain, but right now she was so confused she didn’t know what to say or do.

‘Now,’ Alexander’s psychic command cut through those thoughts and she quickly unleashed the Phoenix at Madelyne at the same time as Alexander and Rachel.

Madelyne was caught completely off guard having been too involved in taunting her foes. She tried to jump out of the way, but she had reacted to late. She was completely consumed by the three pronged attack, pulled into the air she could do nothing but scream. All her powers were out of reach and she couldn’t escape or break the attack. 

“Kurt, how is Emma?” Scott inquired as he finally managed to push himself to his feet. 

“Unconscious,” Kurt answered distractedly as he watched Alexander’s plan unfold. The fire of three Phoenix hosts combined seemed to hypnotize him. 

To Scott’s surprise he could see the others were just as spellbound by the spectacle. He stared at the sight and wondered if it was even possible Madelyne could be healed. Would Alexander’s crazy plan actually succeed? And if it did succeed and she was healed, then the question became what would it mean for him and Jean? Worse, now Jean knew just how close he and Emma had gotten of late. She even knew now thanks to Madelyne that he was fantasying about her. Hearing Emma wanted him for herself had been a surprise. He had a small clue she might be attracted to him, but to hear it confirmed was a shock. But it also gave him a thrill to know he could still attract such a beautiful woman. He guessed he would have to have a very long talk with his wife. He doubted it would go well as he recalled the anger he had seen in Jean’s eyes. 

The fire of the Phoenix seemed to burn brighter and Scott wondered exactly what the three hosts were doing, he also couldn’t help but wonder what it felt like to be so connected. 

“Do you think it will work?” Storm’s question caught him off guard and he turned to find the weather witch beside him. 

“I don’t know Ororo,” Scott answered honestly. “The little snot seemed convinced he could do it, and Jean and Rachel quickly supported his plan so I guess we have to have faith they can do it,” he told her. “Or this whole thing is for nothing, and we’ll have to revise any plan about helping Alexander,” he stated.

Storm heard the underline hatred in her friend’s voice when he said Alexander’s name, after what had gone down before they had come here she could understand Scott being angry about the invasion of his mind, but the raw hatred she heard seemed a little far fetched for only two meetings between them. Was it amplified by the fact that Alexander was Jean’s son with Logan, no matter what dimension he was from? Or maybe it was more down to the fact Jean accepted Alexander as her son no matter his origin? Just as she had done so with Rachel. 

“Oh god,” Emma moaned as she stumbled back into the cave. “The power they are putting out is beyond anything I’ve felt before,” she told them. 

“Are we safe just standing here and watching?” Kitty inquired still staring into the flames.

“I don’t know,” Emma responded with a shake of her head.

Before anyone else could say anything, they were all forced to look away as the flames got brighter and they all heard the call of the Phoenix. That it was joined by three other cries made them all wince, they began to back away as the cries got louder. The flames suddenly expanded flowing in all directions. They all flinched as it passed over them, but it didn’t harm them and it quickly died out. They all turned back to see Madelyne Pryor had dropped to the ground only to be caught by Logan who recovered the fastest. 

“Did it work?” Beast inquired as he watched Alexander, Rachel and Jean collapse to the ground clearly drained. 

“We did it,” Jean responded before she passed out. Beast quickly moved to check her out as Alexander passed out and then finally Rachel. Clearly it had drained them more than he had suspected. 

“Now what?” Kurt asked as he looked around the cave. 

“We get them all on the blackbird and we get them home quickly, so we can check them all out,” Scott answered. “Make sure Madelyne is secured with an energy dampener,” he added. “I’m not taking any risks,” he added at the look he got from Kurt and Kitty. 

+XW+

(Earth-619, secret hideout)

Essex couldn’t believe the readouts he was getting on the DNA and blood samples he had collected from the X-Men, the power held within was beyond what he had originally believed possible. He was already thinking of possibly cloning an army from the samples, with the sort of power this would give him along with the original X-Men once they had undergone the memory alteration process would make him unstoppable. Oh he could barely wait to begin, but he had time to continue to analyze the samples as each one gave him even more knowledge of the secrets of the mutant gene.  
5\. Chapter 5

(X-Mansion)

Xavier looked up as he heard the sounds of the Blackbird returning to the hangar, he let out a relieved sigh and quickly started for the elevator. He noted Eric and his children quickly got up to follow. He just hoped the meeting between them and the returning X-Men would go smoothly. 

Magneto didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what his old friend was thinking. He gave each of his children a look to signify to be on their guard, but not to start anything and was relieved when they both nodded in understanding. The elevator stopped and let them out, just as the ramp of the Blackbird opened. They all saw Logan storm out of the jet and quickly head towards them. Magneto awaited the greeting from the feral mutant, but to their surprise Logan paid them no heed and exited without even looking at them. 

“That was strange,” Xavier stated as he watched the door close behind Logan.

“Yes, I was expecting a much more aggressive hello,” Magneto agreed with a nod of his head. “Not to be ignored as if I wasn’t here,” he added with a shrug. “Something must be wrong,” he mused. 

“You have no idea,” Jean’s weary voice said from behind them, causing them all to turn back around to find the rest of the X-Men now assembled behind them. “Madelyne pushed Logan to his limit when we used him as bait to distract her. His senses and instincts are out of control,” she explained, even as she did her best to keep her worry for him from showing right now. “He’s gone to the Danger Room, to try and regain control away from anyone he might hurt,” she told them. 

“Professor, what the hell are Magneto and his children doing here?” Scott finally exploded, having held his tongue as long as he could. 

“They are the extra help I told you I would be contacting,” Xavier answered with a slight glare at Scott, not to blow this conversation into an argument. “It concerns him as one of Alexander’s team mates just happens to be his daughter Lorna. Say what you will about Eric, but he does care for his children” 

“But Professor, he is one of our biggest enemies,” Scott couldn’t help to argue. 

“While you argue this point between yourselves, I’m taking Miss Pryor, Alexander, Rachel and Jean to medical,” Hank said before anyone could say anything. “They drained themselves badly, so much that they all collapsed unconscious when they finished,” he told them. “And while they all came too again, bar Madelyne, during the flight home, I want to check them out just to be on the safe side,” he added as Jean went to argue.

“I agree, as we will need them at their best if we are to rescue Alexander’s friends and family,” Xavier agreed with a nod of his head. “Jean, please go with Hank and get checked over and the same goes for you Alexander and Rachel,” he ordered.

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask yet if we succeeded,” Alexander stated as he nodded in agreement. What he, Rachel and Jean had done was beyond anything he had taken part in before. It had pushed his powers to his limits, and he was still feeling drained. He also felt the echo of being joined with three other Phoenix hosts. 

“I assume you did succeed or you wouldn’t have brought Madelyne to the mansion,” Xavier replied calmly to which Alexander just nodded before following the others out.   
“Now Professor, I think we should discuss your choice in bringing them here,” Scott stated coldly pointing at Magneto and his children causing Xavier to sigh in annoyance. 

“I don’t have to explain myself to you Scott, you forget yourself,” Xavier responded highly annoyed by Scott’s tone of voice. “This is and has always been my home before I turned it into a school for Mutants,” he reminded him and the other remaining X-Men. “I can invite whoever I chose here. I also am the overall leader of the X-Men and thus I choose who joins us on our missions,” he added. 

“Scott doesn’t speak for all of us Professor,” Kurt spoke up before Scott could respond. “We have allied with the Brotherhood before, when we face a mutual threat, and this monster Alexander told us about could exist in our dimension and thus could be a threat to us all,” he stated calmly and doing his best to ignore the heated glares he received from Scott and Kitty. 

However their reasons were for entirely different reasons, Scott was glaring due to Kurt accepting Magneto and his children’s presence in their home so easily. Kitty however was glaring at the rather heated gaze Kurt was giving Magneto’s daughter Wanda Maximoff. Hell she had noted from the moment they had seen who was beside the Professor that Kurt had been unable to look away from the stunning brunette in the rather flimsy red outfit. If she recalled correctly it was not the only time Kurt had responded to Wanda when they had met one another during their many battles. The thought of him been attracted to Wanda annoyed her greatly. But she also had to remember that she was too afraid to admit her own feelings for Kurt. He had already made his well know. If she couldn’t find the courage to take that step, then couldn’t really blame him for trying to move on she asked herself. That Wanda was returning the interest just annoyed her all the more, turning away she noted Rahne give her a warning look. 

“At least one of you X-Men seems to think things through before jumping to conclusions,” Magneto responded and was not blind to the looks been exchanged between Wanda and Kurt. “I’m here to help you at Charles request. I believe it is possible this demon exists in this dimension as Nightcrawler just stated and any intel we can get will be of use if it does exist here,” he added. “However my main interest is ensuring Lorna doesn’t come to harm, no matter that this Lorna is from another dimension,” he stated with a cold glare at Scott. 

Scott let out a frustrated growl before turning and storming out. Emma quickly turned and followed as she didn’t want to be alone with any of her team mates right now. Madelyne Pryor had caused her a huge headache in her attempts to attract Scott’s attention, although she could feel the anger it had caused within Jean. That would cause even more problems between the married couple, maybe just enough to cause them to split up. It was a mean spirited thought she knew, but she wanted Scott Summers and anything that could her attain him was good in her books. 

“Why do I sense an even greater surge of anger, frustration and other high tempered emotions?” Xavier inquired after the blond telepath had departed. 

“Before Pryor was healed she managed to read Scott and Emma’s minds,” Kitty told him as his question made her focus on something other than her problems with Kurt. “Scott it seems to have an interest in Emma that she returns fully,” she added with a frown. 

“I take it Jean knows?” Xavier inquired with a feeling of dread descending on him. 

“Oh she knows, she almost lost it fully which I’m sure was Madelyne’s intention,” Storm told him. “Alexander however was able to make her refocus on the task at hand,” she said thankfully.   
“But that does not mean a reckoning isn’t coming Professor,” Rogue warned him as she leaned against Gambit. “After all the shit Scott has given her over the years about her and Logan, for her to find out he’s done the same damn thing must have hit her hard and spiked whatever anger she already feels for him,” she explained at the Professor’s look. “It will not be pretty, plus I assume once Madelyne wakes up in her right mind then she’ll want a piece of him as well for leaving her and their child for Jean,” she went on with a dark look in her eyes. 

She’d never been happy about what Scott had done to Madelyne and their child, leaving them so quickly once he had found out she wasn’t Jean. Oh she was happy her friends we married and happy well had been happy, but not how they went about it. The fact it had sent Madelyne insane after their child was kidnapped just made it worse. She could never imagine leaving her child behind no matter for what reason. Of course the chance of her ever having a child was slim to none, unless she could find some way to control her powers. 

“Hopefully they will leave it till after our mission is complete,” Rahne spoke up before she turned and all but dragged Kitty out of the room. 

She needed to talk to her friend. She could already see another disaster approaching if Kurt’s look towards Wanda was any indication. Kitty had to be willing to step up and soon, or she may just end up missing any chance she has with their furry friend. 

+XW+

(Medical)

Jean watched as Alexander and Rachel were checked over by Hank, she was concerned by how drained her children had been from what they had done to heal Madelyne. She glanced at her clone and noted she seemed to be more asleep now than unconscious as her breathing was more even. She knew they had succeeded and healed Madelyne’s fractured mind and removed the taint that had driven her insane. What she didn’t know was just how much she would remember once she woke up. The feelings she had felt while in the link were still flowing through her mind. It had been an amazing feeling, her powers had felt super charged and beyond anything she had felt before. 

But what was worrying her was her almost constant lock on Logan, since she had woken up she had been keeping a close eye on him. She could feel the war going on inside him; Madelyne had driven Logan’s control of the primal spirit within to his limit. Another few minutes and he’d probably have lost control and taken Madelyne right there in the cave, but while he’d been able to ignore just how close to the edge he was during the battle. Now he had nothing to distract him from the primal spirits urges for him to let loose. He had locked himself inside the Danger Room so he couldn’t hurt anyone and her especially. His control was brittle, any nudge would send him over the edge and the primal would gain control which wouldn’t be a good thing. At least worrying about Logan kept her from thinking about Scott and Emma. What Madelyne had revealed to her about them wasn’t something she wanted to think about just yet. 

“How are they Hank?” she finally asked if for nothing else than to break her current train of thought. 

“They, like you, are drained and tired,” Hank responded with a calming smile. “But I note all of you are showing an increase in power. It is almost as if the combination and joining of the Phoenix has increased your powers beyond what they were on their own,” he explained as best he could his findings. 

“Will this be permanent Hank?” Alexander inquired as he sat up.

“I don’t know just yet, but I will like to check you all again once the current crisis is resolved,” Hank responded to which they all nodded. 

“How is my aunt doing?” Alexander inquired with a grin as he indicated the still sleeping Madelyne. 

Jean raised an eyebrow at the term he had used to describe Madelyne, then again given that he saw her as his mother even though she was from another dimension she guessed she shouldn’t be to surprised. Rachel just snorted as she glanced at the clone of her mother, wondering the same thing. 

“She is fine physically and her power signatures are a true match for Jean’s,” Hank answered as he moved to the bed on which she lay. “Like with you, her powers seemed to have been enhanced by the joining of the Phoenix,” he added. 

“And her mind Henry?” Xavier inquired as he and the others arrived. 

“As Alexander stated to you, her mind also seems more of a match for Jean’s brainwaves,” Hank replied. “The former signs of her insanity or taint as it has been put are missing,” he told them. 

“It has been burnt out of her,” Rachel told them as she sat up as well. “I could feel the Phoenix as it worked on her, combining each of our powers seemed to make the Phoenix aware of what we needed it to do,” she tried to explain. “And I sensed it wanted Madelyne healed as much as we did. I guess it does view her as part of its family tree, that’s the best way I could describe it,” she added.

“Will she be able to help us?” Wanda inquired from next to her father. “From what I gathered, without her we can’t cross over to Alexander’s universe,” she pointed out. 

“I believe she can help us,” Alexander replied with a confident smile. “Now that her mind has been healed, she is on par with my mother in either universe,” he admitted. 

“Are we sure she will not have a relapse?” Magneto inquired folding his arms over his chest as he studied this visitor from another dimension. “Or that whatever drove her insane and tainted her will not come back to put her back the way she was,” he added. 

“That is a good question,” Jean said before trailing off with a frown marring her features before she let out a curse before turning and walking out of the room. 

“What the hell was that?” Rogue inquired. 

“That was my sister sensing Logan’s distress,” the answer came from an unexpected source as Madelyne suddenly sat up. “It seems I pushed his animal much closer to breaking loose than we thought,” she told them. 

“Sister?” Storm couldn’t help but ask.

“What would you have me call her Ororo?” Madelyne responded with a smile. “It sounds better than clone, and at a genetic level we are the same,” she told them all as she moved to stand up. “I suppose you could look at us as twins,” she stated with another smile.

The gathered group all stared at the red headed woman in surprise at her calm reasoning. She sounded very much like Jean, but with just enough difference to tell them apart. The fact she had called Jean her sister made them all wonder just how much she remembered from what had happened before the last battle. 

“Is it wise to let her close to him in such a state?” Rachel inquired worried for her mother. 

She knew Logan would rather kill himself than hurt Jean, but if his current state had affected him so badly he could barely control himself, than he might do something without meaning too. 

“Jean is the only one who has a snowballs chance of getting close to him without the animal causing him to gut them,” Madelyne told them seriously. “She will help calm the animal, she has that effect on him,” she pointed out. 

“From what Logan’s hinted out, all Jean does is bring it out of him,” Gambit spoke up for the first time, having been listening closely to what was said. 

“Oh she can do that too,” Madelyne agreed with a nod of her head. “But for the most part she has a calming effect on him, and right now that is what he needs,” she told them. 

The others nodded and even Rachel relaxed somewhat at Madelyne’s explanation. It seemed to her at least that Alexander’s plan had worked. Madelyne Pryor seemed to be back in her right mind, and also did not seem to view any of them as enemies anymore. That was a good thing to Rachel. Going up against someone who was basically her mother on a genetic level wasn’t pleasant.

“Once Logan has calmed down, we will cross over into Alexander’s dimension and find as much information on who attacked the mansion and kidnapped his friends and family,” Xavier told them all. “Then we will plan our rescue of them,” he told them. “Rachel, please inform Scott and Emma of this please. I need to start locking down the mansion while we are gone,” he said turning to the red head who nodded in response, although seeing Emma wasn’t high on her to do list. 

What Madelyne had revealed had shocked and angered her, she had already seen plenty of cracks in her parents’ marriage of late and she didn’t want to see anymore. Worse she didn’t want this new entanglement to be the nail in the coffin that ended that marriage, she was still unsure that if their marriage ended here and now that it would mean she would never be born. She knew there were so many theories on time travel and dimensional theories, that it was possible that this time line she was now in had no connection to the one she had traveled from and thus this Jean and Scott’s actions had no effect on her life. 

+XW+

(Earth-619, secret hideout)

Scott was getting tired of waiting for Essex to fulfill his end of the bargain. So far all the man had done was take blood and DNA samples from each of his former allies. Now he was intent on studying the samples he had taken, from the look on the man’s face the samples were worth a lot of him. Pacing a little he began to worry if Essex could indeed do what he said he could, or worse would Essex actually stick to their deal now he had the X-Men in his grasp. If he could manipulate Jean’s memories to remove any knowledge of her marrying Logan and having kids with him, then wasn’t it possible he could make her believe anything he wanted her to believe? 

Glancing down at where Essex sat studying the samples taken from Beast, he felt a cold shiver go down his spine as he realized he may have just made a mistake in his rush to finally get Jean back where she belonged. Frowning he wondered if he was paranoid, glancing at the look on Essex’s face as he stood up and moved to talk to one of his underlings he felt as if he wasn’t paranoid enough. But still he had to hold onto the hope he would keep their deal, and that very soon he would have his lover back.

Below Essex calmly told his second, who was called Johnson, to begin preparations for the mind manipulations, it wouldn’t be as simple as he had told Summers, but it could be done in time. It might take a couple of sessions to ensure each of the X-Men were 100% loyal to him. He fought a smirk as he glanced up at the pacing Scott Summers. The idiot had no idea what was coming and how he would soon be under his control just like his former allies would be. And once he had the X-Men under his control, then he would have a world of opportunity to explore. The power he could control was already going to his head, turning back to the microscope he wondered what else he might find in the DNA strands. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion Danger Room)

Jean stood outside the doors to the Danger Room knowing once she stepped inside, she was going to be taking a big risk. Oh she knew that Logan would never hurt her, but it was possible with his control so out of reach he might do something he might not normally do. What was worse was the fact her own control was a little faulty right now, the images of Logan’s fantasy after seeing Madelyne in her costume was still very fresh. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, they needed Logan in his right mind for what they were about to do and she was the best person to put him back in control. She just hoped as she keyed in the code to override the lock in, that she wasn’t making a big mistake that could make the explosive argument she knew was coming with Scott even worse.  
6\. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(X-Mansion Danger Room)

Jean was about to enter the danger room when she sensed a presence behind her, turning she found Madelyne looking at her with a worried expression. Wondering how her now healed clone had gotten away from Xavier and the others, she almost missed the growl coming from behind, that alerted her to the fact that Logan had sensed her near the door. 

“You can’t go in there Jean. If you do you risk everything that still exists between you and Scott,” Madelyne told her bluntly, having reconsidered letting Jean go in to sort Logan out. At first it seemed the perfect and only way to do it, but she then realized why Jean wanted to do it and had seen the trouble it would bring if she did go in. In concern for her template she had decided to take her place, not only for Jean and Logan, but the rest of the team as well. She knew there were some personal issues for going in herself, but those were secondary. “Logan is not in his right mind, I can sense it from here that his beast has taken over, which means I must have pushed him far more than I realized,” she pointed out. “He will take you and it will not be the slow sensual love you are used to, but the most forceful animalistic sex you can imagine and you know that,” she added, which made Jean look away for a few moments just as Logan charged the door. 

He bounced of an invisible force field and skidded backwards, she could see it in his eyes that Madelyne was correct and her friends more bestial side had taken over. A small part of her feared this side of Logan, but the rest of her found it very intriguing and highly arousing to think of having sex with such a man so in tune with the animal within. Glancing at her clone she noted her hand raised clearly keeping the barrier up, she noted Madelyne was just as affected by Logan’s state as she was. 

“I have to calm him down and get him back into his right mind Madelyne,” Jean finally responded turning back to look at Logan. “We can’t leave on our mission until I do,” she added with what she knew was a very weak argument. She refused to even think of the real reason she wanted to do this. 

“You are angry at what I revealed. You are angry at Scott and at Frost and even at me,” Madelyne argued. “This is an act of revenge on them, you are not thinking straight,” she pressed. 

“And you are sister?” Jean shot back, suddenly angry at been called out. “I can see you want him just as much as I do right now,” she pointed out and was surprised when Madelyne blushed and backed away slightly. “You want him,” Jean repeated herself. 

“Yes I do,” Madelyne agreed finally. “I’m your clone Jean and I have every emotion you had within you when I was created,” she said with a sigh. “That includes your feelings for Logan, feelings that have grown over the years just as yours have,” she admitted as Logan charged the barrier again. “But at least if Logan takes me, there will be no consequences for you and Scott or for Logan himself or have you not thought of how Logan would feel when he recovers to find out he took you in such a way?” she asked as gently as she could. “He loves you Jean with every fiber of his being, which is why he fought me for so long and fought his nature which is why he is in this state,” she went on. 

“Would you have him take on that guilt just because you are angry and want to get back at Scott and Frost?” she continued to press her point. 

That hit Jean hard because it was true. Logan wouldn’t want to have her in such a way. He’d see it as an attack, that he had hurt her in the most grievous manner. He would hate himself and she couldn’t do that to him. She stepped away from the door, she was angry and she wanted to lash out at Scott and Frost, but this wasn’t the way she realized with a sigh. If she did this then she would hurt not only Scott and Logan, but herself as well. More than likely Logan would never forgive her for doing this, closing her eyes for a second she knew she had to let Madelyne do this. 

“Can you do this?” Jean asked, turning back to Madelyne. “Without letting your emotions for him to get in the way?” she added.

“Could you if you were going in there?” Madelyne shot back with a raised eyebrow and almost teasing smile, making Jean blush as she doubted she could keep her perspective. “I will get him back into his right mind Jean I promise you that. I suggest you deal with Scott now before it comes to bite you in the ass later,” she suggested. 

Jean knew her clone was right and thus she took one more look at Logan who was staring at them both with pure animal lust in his wild eyes. “By the way how did you get away from the others?” she inquired as she passed.

“I’m a Phoenix host now sister, thanks to you and your children. I’ve found my other powers amplified including my ability to astral project,” Madelyne answered. “They will of course discover the deception soon enough, but I will deal with that later,” she added. “Now please go, and lock the Danger Room behind us,” she told her before she walked forward and pushed Logan back with a telekinetic push.

Jean quickly closed and locked the Danger Room down. Staring at the doors she hoped Madelyne knew what she was doing. Another stray thought was if Madelyne had really talked her out of this in concern for what it would do to Scott, Logan and Jean herself or because she wanted Logan for herself. Knowing there was nothing she could do about it now she turned and walked away, she had to focus on confronting Scott.

Upstairs Kurt lay on one of the many sofas and tried to ignore the new object of his interests. Wanda Maximoff was without a doubt one of the hottest woman alive that he knew. The red outfit she wore showed off some impressive skin and even more impressive cleavage, suddenly coughing at that thought he sat up and tried to distract himself. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking of Wanda like that, one because she was Magneto’s daughter and two he had feelings for Kitty which before today he would have said was love. ‘But if he loved Kitty then why did he have feelings for Wanda, why did he find it hard to keep his eyes off her?’ he wondered. 

Wanda wasn’t blind to Kurt’s interest in her, and nor was this the first time he had shown such interest in her. The X-Men and the Brotherhood had clashed many times, they had confronted each other on opposite sides and yet both of them had begun to show interest in one another that had nothing to do with their beliefs of which faction they belonged too. She liked Kurt. The few times the two groups had worked together she had found the blue furry X-Man to be funny, interesting and thoughtful. He didn’t share the same disquiet that most of his fellow X-Men had when the two groups were forced to work together. The fact she was the daughter of one of their greatest enemies didn’t bother him one bit. That had confused her at first, but as time passed she found that Kurt saw more than most of his colleagues. He didn’t see things in black and white, but shades of grey and she liked that about him. 

“Hey where did Pryor go?” Bobby’s question suddenly rang out, cutting into Wanda and Kurt’s thoughts. 

“She is here in the mansion,” Xavier said as he caught a brief blast of Madelyne’s thoughts. 

He was to be honest shocked she had stepped in for Jean. He actually sensed true concern for her template, it would seem the process of healing Madelyne had truly helped her refocus her mind and take away much of the hatred she had once had for Jean. “She is not causing any trouble Bobby, so leave her be,” he ordered before turning back to his conversation with Magneto. 

“Are you sure we can trust her so soon, Professor?” Hank inquired with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes Henry I do. The healing seems to have worked completely,” Xavier replied. “I sense concern and worry from her right now, which is not something I would have said of her before she was healed,” he explained. Even if that worry and concern was now gone, replaced by lust which is why he was no longer monitoring her.

“I don’t think I would be so trusting were our positions reversed Charles,” Magneto told him. “Madelyne Pryor is dangerous, to trust her being cured so quickly is risky,” he warned.

Xavier smiled, not at all surprised by his old friend’s statement. They had always been two sides of the same coin. Where he was always more trusting and hopeful, Eric had always been cautious and doubtful. Sadly it was those traits that had led them to becoming rivals in the same cause, maybe one day he would get through to Eric and get him to try and see the world from his point of view. 

“I know Eric, but I prefer to trust that my X-Men have managed to succeed in what they set out to do,” Xavier responded with a small smile making Magneto just shake his head. 

Magneto understood his old friend’s desire to trust people. He even understood his desire to be hopeful that in time Mutants would be welcomed. But he didn’t share those traits, to him they were dangerous traits to embrace and that they would lead to his old friend’s destruction one day. 

Alexander paced up and down wondering when his father would be back in control of himself. Time was running out and he was beginning to get nervous. Would they be in time to save his family and friends? 

Rachel came back from talking to her father not that she said too much, she was still angry with him after learning of his interest in Emma Frost. She quickly picked up her half-brothers concerns. His control was slipping as he began to allow his worry to grow. She was still getting used to having a half-brother even though he came from an alternate universe. Learning about Alexander and his origins was a truly surprising moment. She quickly moved over to his side and tried to distract him, letting his worry get the best of him would do him no good. This she knew from personal experience, thankfully her plan worked and Alexander allowed himself to be distracted. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion, upper levels)

Upstairs Scott stared at his door in frustration as he worried over Rachel’s rather abrupt tone with him. She had ignored any attempt by him to talk about what Madelyne had revealed. Okay he was attracted to Emma, but that didn’t mean he was going to cheat on Jean, that Emma returned his interest had been a surprise but a welcome one. The idea he could attract such a beautiful woman like her fed his ego a bit. He ran a hand through his hair wondering what the hell was going to happen next. Ever since that little bastard child of Logan’s showed up his relationship with Jean had grown cold and become fragile. Jean responded to him as if he was her child and it seemed to pull her closer to Logan much to his ever growing frustration. Before he could think anymore the door to his and Jean’s room opened and Jean stormed in. She looked pissed and he suddenly hoped she hadn’t caught his recent thoughts. That hope was dashed when she raised her hand and actually slapped him across the cheek, if anything she looked even more pissed. 

“How dare you call my son a bastard? In case it slipped your mind Scott Alexander is my son as well, no matter what reality he came from,” Jean spat at him, having indeed caught his dark thoughts as she approached the door. “I will not have you place all our problems on him. He came here for help or would you rather he had died the first time he came here?” she demanded in a very dangerous tone, letting him know he was on thin ice. “Would you rather we left his family and friends in enemy’s hands, yet knowing if our roles were reversed they would aide us if asked?” she pressed. 

Scott frowned at her verbal assault and backed off a few steps, but Jean followed him. He couldn’t answer her questions to her satisfaction. No, he wouldn’t have been happy to see Alexander die the first time he was here, but he couldn’t deny he never wanted Alexander to come here in the first place. ‘Why couldn’t he have been sent elsewhere to be healed?’ he wondered. As for helping his family and friends in his reality, well he was against getting involved. He didn’t agree with the Professor on this just as he didn’t agree with trying to heal Madelyne. 

“Don’t you see how his very presence is killing our marriage Jean?” Scott finally snapped back. “We are falling apart,” he added.

“Our marriage has been falling apart before Alexander ever arrived, we just didn’t want to admit it,” Jean shot back, not willing to allow Scott to blame their problems sourly on Alexander. “We’ve grown distant,” she went on, but was cut off by her husband.

“Yes because of your growing lust for that damn animal downstairs,” Scott all but snarled. He quickly found himself on their bed holding his jaw from where Jean had just punched him, if she was angry before then the furious now. He could see flickers of Phoenix fire around her body and her eyes seemed to glow like hot coal. He actually found himself slightly afraid of his wife, this almost reminded him of her time as the Dark Phoenix. 

“DO NOT CALL HIM THAT,” Jean growled out. She had always hated it when Scott attacked Logan in that way, but this time he pushed at the wrong time and her anger with him finally exploded. “He is no animal, he is a man just like you, but who has had some of the worst things that can happen to someone happen,” she told him in a calmer tone. “You’ve never tried to understand him, just because he loves me,” she told him with a glare. 

“Loves you?” Scott spat while jumping back to his feet. “Do you actually believe that? He doesn’t know how to love anyone Jean, just to lust after them,” he argued. “Once he’s had you he’ll turn around and go after someone else,” he stated and his tone and eyes told Jean he actually believed that. 

“That is where you are wrong Scott. I know he loves me,” Jean countered intending to get this point through to him. If this was going to be the twilight moment of their marriage then she would ensure he understood things he had long ignored, he had to see his own actions had helped put them where they were. “I’ve seen into his mind, felt his emotions more times that I know and his feelings have never changed, only grown,” she told him and doing her best not to allow how much this pleased her to show on her face. “You’ve never wanted to admit he has the same feelings as anyone else, your hatred of him and anger at his loving me has clouded your mind Scott,” she went on. “You’ve seen him risk his life for us time and again. He has fought with us in every battle we’ve had since he joined the team,” she reminded him. “Yet you’ve never given him the credit he is due for his actions,” she continued with another glare.

“He just likes to fight, that is all he does Jean,” Scott argued, not wanting to admit Jean was right in anything she said. “That is all he can do, because it was what he was programed to do by Weapon-X,” he pointed out. “I’m sure if Emma could get into his head, she’d confirm what I just said,” he added before wincing at bringing Emma into this. 

Jean’s slightly twisted smirk showed she had not missed what he had said. “Ah of course now we get to the newest twist in our troubles, your feelings for Frost, our one time enemy,” she said in too calm a tone for Scott’s liking. “An enemy I will remind you was a part of the Hellfire club when they abducted me and turned me into the Dark Phoenix,” she reminded him. “How could you fall for her?” she demanded to know. 

“That is the question I’ve been asking for years in regards to you and Logan,” was all Scott would say. He knew defending himself would only make matters worse, this was probably one of the worst arguments they ever had and he didn’t see it ending well. Running a hand over his face he wondered how the hell this was going to end. Could they save their marriage or was this the end for them?

“Don’t try and deflect this Scott. Frost was an enemy for years and has only been a member of the X-Men for a few months. Yet you trust her enough to actually begin to have feelings for her and lust after her,” Jean started again. “At least Logan has always shown where he stood in regards to the cause, he believes in the dream unlike Frost,” she added.

“Emma turned her back on the Hellfire Club Jean, you should be willing to give her a chance,” Scott said, feeling things slip further away from him. 

“I did, but now I’ve learnt she has her sights set on my husband, uncaring of the fact you are already taken,” Jean shot back. “I heard every word Madelyne said. I know you fantasied about her and I know you’ve been going to her for help so tell me Scott where does this leave us?” she asked, finally running out of stream and not wanting to make things worse before the mission. 

“I don’t know Jean,” Scott admitted with a deep frustrated sigh. “It’s almost as if we are two different people than we were when we got married. You’ve done things you never would have done before and I blame you becoming Phoenix for those things,” he told her. “It’s changed who you were, changed the woman I fell in love with,” he admitted. “Sometimes I don’t recognize you like when you stormed in here and slapped me,” he went on.

“You called my son a bastard,” Jean reminded him, feeling a spark of anger for that once more. “Tell me if our roles were reversed and say a child of you and Emma came here from another reality do you think I would be reacting as you are?” she inquired. “Do you think I would be calling them such names?” she added. 

The question made Scott pause and try and imagine such a situation, would Jean react as he had or would she try and be understanding of the whole thing. “Maybe, I don’t know, I think the fact you’ve bonded with him so fast is part of the problem,” he pointed out. 

“As I did with Rachel when she first turned up,” Jean shot his point down. “I think we both need to think this whole thing over. The cracks in our marriage are growing and with this whole thing with Frost I think we need to reevaluate where we stand,” she told him before she turned and stormed out of the room. 

Scott watched her go before collapsing onto the bed and wondering if they would be able to work this out.

Emma Frost smiled as she sat in her own bedroom. She had been spying on the argument with her telepathic powers. The argument was in her favor, more and more she saw Jean and Scott growing distant which of course was what she wanted, because she wanted Scott to herself. She remembered when she first took note of the man. It had been when the X-Men stormed the Hellfire Mansion to rescue Jean Grey just after she had been transformed into the Dark Phoenix. While the whole episode had been a disaster for the Hellfire Club and then almost the world at large, she remembered being very interested in the leader of the X-Men. She found him impressive, calm and decisive in battle and rather good looking in her books. 

The interest had grown over the years into an obsession, it was one of the main reasons she had joined the X-Men. Of course getting revenge on the Hellfire Club for turning on her was a part of it too. Since joining the team she had done all she could to undermine the relationship between Scott and his wife. All the while she befriended Scott and tried to entice him, the arrival of Jean’s alternate dimension son with Logan had been a great boon to her plans to get Scott. His sudden return had only helped matters, the mission to heal Madelyne may have been the biggest aide to her plans. Now Jean knew her husband lusted after another woman. Maybe all that was needed was a small push at the right moment, but she had to be careful how she went about things now. The other X-Men now knew about her interest in Scott as well and they wouldn’t take kindly to her causing any more trouble for the embattled couple. 

In another bedroom Kitty paced up and down as she listened to Rahne argue in favor of her confronting Kurt about their feelings for one another. However no matter what her friend said her fear of actually admitting the truth refused to leave her. For some reason the fear consumed her, made her doubt even the most obvious signs that Kurt returned her feelings. Now with his interest in Wanda Maximoff been pushed in her face, well she was even more fearful of taking a chance and admitting her feelings. Rahne watched her friend pace up and down and knew not a damn thing she said was getting through. She could see a train wreck coming and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Maybe she could have Rachel have a word with Kitty she thought, but she doubted even that that would work. They had both tried off and on for months and not once had they broken through Kitty’s resistance. They didn’t understand how she could be so foolish, especially now. 

“Kitty, you are going to have to make a choice and soon or you are going to lose any chance you have with Kurt,” Rahne finally said as a parting shot. “Think carefully before you make an error and end up regretting letting things slip through your fingers,” she added before she turned and left her friend to her thoughts. 

Kitty watched her friend leave and let out a sigh as she fell onto her bed. She wished things could be so simple, but life was never simple. It was always full of difficult choices, but this one was turning out to be the hardest one she had ever faced. Admitting her feelings scared her for reasons beyond her, maybe it was because she was afraid a relationship with Kurt would ruin their friendship it if things didn’t work out between them. Maybe staying silent would be best and allow him and Wanda to try something, even though the very thought made her feel sick. She just didn’t know what to do.

+XW+

(X-Mansion Lower Levels)

Madelyne groaned as she curled up closer to Logan’s naked form, the last hour had been some of the most intense of her life. The primal force within Logan was far more than she had ever suspected, and as expected he had taken her in the most instinctual sex she’d ever had. She had to wait until Logan had fallen asleep before she could start rebuilding the barriers in his mind that kept that side of him contained. Slowly bit by bit she gave Logan back the control she had stripped from him during their last confrontation before they healed her. Her body was sore, but this was a small price to pay to help Logan and Jean. She had been truthful when she had stopped Jean coming in here and doing this herself. Had she not then the consequences would have destroyed the love that lay between the two mutants, no matter how much Jean tried to hide it. Logan would never have forgiven himself for taking her in his wild and uncontrolled condition. Jean had known that, but had almost done it anyway in her anger at Scott and Emma. This was the least she could do for Jean, plus she doubted she’d ever get a chance with Logan again after they were done. If things broke down between Jean and Scott and Jean finally got together with Logan, then nothing would get in the way of them again.

A grunt from beside her made her look up as Logan woke up, his nostrils flared as he picked up her scent and his eyes quickly snapped open to stare at her. Slowly he rolled out and crept to his knees, she quickly matched his move. She made sure not to look away from his rather intense stare. She knew he already knew she wasn’t Jean. 

“What did you do?” Logan demanded to know as he realized he and Pryor must have had sex as he could smell it on them both and in the room.

“I took Jean’s place, she was going to come in here to try and put you back into your right mind, but I stopped her as I knew it would cause nothing but problems for you all,” Madelyne answered as calmly as she could. “I knew the minute she stepped into this room, you would take her in the most forceful sex ever and it would ruin your friendship and any future possibilities you may have,” she added. “Think of it as my way to say sorry for what I did while I was not in my right mind,” she suggested with a slight smile. 

Logan frowned because he knew Madelyne was correct. He had barely held enough control to get to the Danger Room and seal himself inside. Had Jean come near him in that state... he shivered in horror at the very thought. Quickly moving to get dressed, he indicated Madelyne do the same. 

“Thanks but don’t think I don’t know you also did it so you could have me at least once,” Logan finally said. Madelyne chose not to confirm or deny that claim as it would do them no good. 

“Logan I know you don’t care for me like you do for my sister, but listen to me I did this for her more than any other reason,” Madelyne told him. “You love her and she loves you no matter how she hides it. She came in here in here in anger at what she learned about Scott and Frost and she would have ended up regretting it for the rest of her life,” she explained. “She would have also left you with a huge well of guilt for not being able to control yourself. It would have ruined what you have and you know that,” she pointed out as she straightened her clothes and hair.

Logan was actually surprised by the real feeling in Jean’s clone, maybe Alexander’s plan had really healed her to the point where she no longer hated Jean. If so then he was pleased to see it, still he doubted her coming in here had been all about helping Jean. Still he was back in control now, which meant they could get going. 

“Thank you,” Logan told her before he keyed opened the Danger Room to find the rest of the X-Men waiting for them. 

Jean gave him a quick mental probe and relief washed over her features to see him back in control. She also glanced at Madelyne and an exchange passed between them. Jean was thankful Madelyne had done as she had promised, but she was still wondering at her real reasons for doing it. The brief exchange put most of that worry aside. She could feel the genuine reasons and emotions behind it from her clone. They surprised her, clearly Madelyne was really healed. 

Logan backed away as the others entered. He almost popped his claws as he finally took note that Magneto and his children were in the mansion, but he quickly caught himself as he realized that they wouldn’t be here had the Professor not invited them. 

Scott was the last in, but he kept away from Jean and only gave Logan a quick and brief glare. He frowned though that it had been Madelyne who had been trusted to help calm Logan down. A glance from his ex-wife made him aware she had caught that thought and the look she sent him promised she would have it out with him once this mission was over. That were two things he now had to worry about when this was all over. He glanced over at Emma who tried to give him a smile, but she quickly turned away as the two identical red heads turned their attention to her. 

Logan glanced between them all catching the tail tale signs of tension, and he knew on instinct he was a part of it as well. Rachel glanced between them all, she was worried by the mental signs she could sense from all of them. ‘Was her parents’ marriage about to come crashing down?’ she wondered. 

“I am glad to see Madelyne was able to help you calm yourself down Logan,” Xavier said calmly, giving no indication he knew what had taken place between them much to their relief. “Now I believe it is time we crossover to Alexander’s dimension and see if we can find any clues as to who attacked them,” he stated. “Then we will make a plan and launch our rescue efforts. For this mission I will command the X-Men in combination with Eric,” he told them much to their surprise. “But Professor,” Scott tried to argue.

“I have made up my mind Scott,” Xavier cut him off briskly. “I believe someone with a cooler head would be better suited to command here, as well as work with Eric,” he explained.

“It is not a slight on you Cyclops,” Magneto added. “But what you forget is that Charles and I were once team mates and we worked together for the good of mutant kind,” he reminded them all. “We know how the other works, our own track record however would preclude us getting on as well,” he pointed out with a grim smile. 

“Very well,” Scott finally agreed with a brief glance at his mentor who watched him closely.

“Alexander it is up to you and the others now,” Xavier said turning to the young man.

Alexander nodded and moved to the outer ring as Jean, Rachel and Madelyne took their places on each side of the gathered X-Men. Raising their arms they each activated their Phoenix powers, this time the power washed over them all as the four hosts stood combined. It took only a few seconds for them all to vanish in a flash of flame, silence was all that remained.  
7\. Chapter 7

(Earth-619, X-Mansion)

Xavier quickly looked around the mansion they had appeared in and almost thought they had failed to cross over. It was only the shattered walls and broken furniture that indicated over wise. It would seem the monster had made quite a mess of the mansion. He glanced at Eric and noted he was taking note of the damage as well.

“You guys ok?” Logan asked as he took note Jean, Rachel, Alexander and Madelyne were all resting against the only intact wall.

“Yes, even with four of us there was still a significant drain,” Alexander answered. “But we should recover quickly, it would have been worse had we not had a forth Phoenix host which is why I insisted we heal Madelyne,” he pointed out. 

“Ok I get the point,” Scott said with gritted teeth, still angry over his argument with Jean and feeling put upon by Alexander. 

“Look at the state of this place,” Rachel gasped in surprise at seeing the mansion in such a state. It had holes and broken furniture and windows as far as she could see. 

“The monster you described did all that?” Xavier inquired as he looked around and forced himself not to shiver at the destructive force this creature’s path of destruction alluded to.

“Yes, all of it,” Alexander agreed with a nod of his head. “Fast, strong, possibly psychic, fast with accelerated healing,” he continued as he tried to ignore the guilt he felt at leaving his friends and family behind to get help. He felt Jean reach out and rub his arm as she felt his distress, ignoring Scott’s frown at her actions he tried to give her an upbeat smile, but he knew she didn’t buy it. 

“Any ideas who may be behind such a creature?” Eric inquired, in his own mind only one mutant came to mind, but according to Xavier he didn’t exist in this dimension. 

“No, none of the enemies we’ve faced have the genetic skills to create such a beast,” Alexander answered with a shake of his head. “This thing was unlike anything I’ve seen before,” he added. 

“Then I suggest we check the security cameras as you planned, to see if any clues might be on them, if not I will use Cerebro to try and locate them,” Xavier decided. 

“This way,” Alexander said, leading them to the lift that would take them to the lower levels. He just hoped it was working. 

“Wait,” Logan snarled as he began to sniff around. “I’ve got a small scent here, familiar as well,” he added. 

“Who does it belong too?” Wanda inquired turning to the feral mutant.

“It can’t be,” Logan whispered as he double checked the scent. Jean’s eyes widened as she caught what Logan now suspected. “I think we should check the cameras before I say,” he finally told them.

Logan wasn’t stupid to believe if he told them his suspicion it wouldn’t cause another clash between Alexander and Scott. Only this time he doubted it would be stopped as easily as the last one was. And they didn’t have the time to mess around here. 

Xavier could sense the unease and he was sure and didn’t doubt Jean now knew what he knew if the look in her eyes was anything to go by. 

Alexander gave him a brief glance before he got on the lift with five others and descended, the lift came back a few minutes later and the next group headed down. Alexander quickly led them to the security office and began to rewind the tapes. Thankfully no one had bothered to check out the lower levels. Clearly whoever had attacked them had only the capture of the X-Men in mind. ‘Their mistake,’ Alexander thought hopefully. 

“If whoever attacked you knew about the security in and around the mansion, what hope do you have that they may have forgotten something?” Pietro inquired as he looked around the room. 

“I’m hoping the fact they actually beat us and captured the others made them sloppy,” Alexander stated, not willing to think there would be no clues for them to follow. “Bad guys tend to get arrogant and stupid when they have you at their mercy, forgetting how easily the tables can be turned against them,” he added as he began to play the tape of the attack. 

Eric couldn’t help but laugh at how true Alexander’s statement was. It was a common failing in most enemies of the X-Men. Himself included he had to admit, his rivalry with Charles while heated had never degenerated into true bitterness and hatred. Had it done so then their cooperation in missions like this would be impossible. They both still respected the other and just differed on what actions needed to be taken to keep Mutant kind safe. 

“Everyone can be guilty of that now and again,” Madelyne pointed out knowing what Alexander said was true, even she had made that mistake again and again while her mind had been twisted.

“Is that the monster?” Logan inquired as they all watched the video play now on the big screen. He tried to ignore how easily he seemed to get on with Magneto in this dimension or more painfully the playful banter his counterpart seemed to have with Jean in this dimension. 

Jean sensed the emotional reaction Logan was having to seeing the freely expressed love between this dimension’s versions of herself and Logan, she couldn’t force her own reaction to this scene away either and she doubted no matter how much she tried some of what she was feeling was slipping through the bond she shared with Scott. 

“Look at the thing,” Kurt said as he studied the creature as it began its attack. Like Alexander had told them it struck at Magneto, Jean and Logan first. 

“Why do you think it attacked them first?” Jean said as she reached forward and paused the playback. “Do you think whoever helped bypass the security, helped plan the attack so they knew which of the X-Men were the strongest?” she inquired.

“I’ve thought about it and it is possible,” Alexander answered with a frown. “But who could create such a monster and program it like this?” he asked with a frustrated shrug. 

“The only person I can think of is Sinister,” Logan grunted to which most of the others nodded in agreement. 

“I remember that name, you mentioned it before,” Alexander quickly said as he glanced between Jean and Logan. 

“Sinister is a mutant scientist who is obsessed with genetics. He believes that through manipulating the DNA of mutants he can create the ultimate life form,” Jean told him with a sigh. “He seems to have his mind fixed on using mine and Scott’s DNA, he believes it has the best chances of succeeding in creating his perfect being,” she added, ending in a tone of distaste. 

“He’s tried multiple times to capture us and use us in his sick experiments,” Scott muttered, while doing his best to ignore what he had seen on the screen only moments before the attack started. It was even more proof that in this dimension Jean had indeed left him for Logan and had even started a family with him, something they still had to do in their own dimension. And with the way things stood he doubted they’d ever get around to having one. He hated seeing proof of Alexander’s story, something he had tried to ignore but now he could no longer delude himself. Shaking those thoughts away as best as he could he refocused on what was discussed. 

“He has the skill to make such a monster as that one on the screen,” Xavier stated as he rubbed his chin in thought. “But the first time we met you, it was stated Sinister didn’t exist in your reality.” 

“He doesn’t,” Alexander assured them. “We’ve never tangled with anyone like you’ve described,” he told them as he pressed play once more. “I’ve gone through the files a few times and seen no one like that or with that kind of background,” he added. 

“Logan you said you picked up something that may point to who did this?” Xavier inquired, quickly recalling how Logan had reacted when they had arrived. He had caught wind of something he said was familiar. “Whose scent was it?” he asked.

“SON OF A BITCH,” Alexander’s angry voice stopped Logan from answering. 

They all turned back to the screen having gotten caught up with the discussion going on. There on the screen frozen in mid step was Scott Summers. Logan winced as the video confirmed what he had already suspected. Summers had been the one to help whoever was behind this to circumvent the security of the mansion. Alexander was out of his chair and headed right for Scott, his claws on his right hand were out and it was clear he intended to use them. Jean and Logan both moved to intercept him, only for a blast of energy from Scott’s visor to send Alexander flying backwards into the wall. It was noted by more than a few that it had not been a small blast either. Jean’s eyes began to glow with the fire of the Phoenix as she watched her son getting hit. The anger came from the amount of force Scott had used to stop Alexander’s charge. He knew she and Logan would have gotten to him before her son reached him. Instead he had finally decided to lash out at what he saw as the cause of their failing marriage. Without even thinking about it and pushed on by the Phoenix itself she raised her hand and sent Scott flying away from Alexander’s crumpled form. Scott struck a metal shelving unit with some force before collapsing to the ground. He groaned in pain and no little shock at what Jean had just done. 

The other X-Men looked between all three in a state of confusion unsure what to do. Even Xavier had been caught off guard by the rapid decay of the group’s relationship. Rachel moved to check on her father shocked not only by her father’s attack on her half-brother, but also by her mother’s response to that attack. Madelyne quickly moved to check on Alexander, she could see he was in pain from the blast he had taken full in the chest. Kneeling down beside him she sensed Logan behind her. 

“Is he ok?” Logan asked as he glanced at Jean’s still fiery form. She looked like an avenging goddess right now. 

“He’s healing, he took the shot right in the chest,” Madelyne answered with a glare at Scott’s fallen form which with no surprise to her was been checked on by Emma as well as Rachel. “While he seemed to have inherited your healing factor, I don’t believe it is as strong as yours,” she suggested with a frown. “Had Scott used his full power it is possible he could have killed him,” she stated confidently. Hearing Logan’s answering growl at that sent a shiver up her spine. 

“That was uncalled for,” Jean shouted at Scott as Emma helped him up. “Logan and I would have stopped him before he got anywhere near you, but no you just had to lash out finally because you want to blame him for everything you see as going wrong in your life,” she spat. 

“That little shit was going to try and gut me,” Scott defended himself only wincing as the Phoenix fire around Jean begin to get brighter and he remembered their previous argument where she had slapped him for calling Alexander names. 

“Nether the less Scott I believe Jean is correct,” Xavier quickly said. “Alexander would have been stopped by them before he reached you. He was angry and not thinking straight,” he pointed out. 

“Yeah I wonder where he got that trait from,” Scott spat sarcastically, making Logan growl at him again as he heard the statement. 

“ENOUGH,” Eric shouted actually making Scott flinch. “You are acting like a spoilt child Summers. I believe you can see why he reacted the way he did,” he pressed, pointing at the frozen video image. “That is your counterpart, clearly the reason the mansion fell with such ease and obviously the person who told the attackers of their enemies’ strengths and weaknesses,” he stated coldly. “You should understand his anger,” he said.

“Even more so considering what Alexander told us of him the first time we met him,” Logan pointed out as he helped Alexander back to his chair with a little help from Madelyne. 

“Scott was protecting himself from an unprovoked attack,” Emma couldn’t help wade into the argument. “That child has no control of his actions just like his father. Scott is not his counterpart,” she snapped with blazing eyes. She felt like Jean, Xavier and Magneto were ganging up on Scott. 

“You stay out of this you blond whore,” Madelyne growled as she came to stand beside her template whose body still blazed with the fire of the Phoenix. “This is not your concern, now be quiet before you get hurt,” she warned. 

“Nor is it yours pretender,” Emma unwisely spat back. “You are nothing but a weak copy of Jean at best,” she shouted before finding her ability to speak shut off. Glaring at the two red heads, she stepped away as Xavier moved forward having used his own powers to ensure she could say nothing else to provoke Jean and her clone. 

“Are you all out of your minds?” Kurt inquired, shaking his head in shock at what he was seeing. “We are on a mission here. Need I remind you?” he stated. 

“Kurt is correct, we have no time for petty fighting,” Wanda agreed stepping forward. “We now know who helped these attackers get into the mansion, but we still don’t know who sanctioned the attack,” she reminded them. 

Jean slowly pushed her anger aside as she listened to Kurt and Wanda, they were right there was no time for this nonsense. The fiery glow of the Phoenix faded as she regained control of herself, giving Scott one more glare she moved to her son’s side and noted he had finally finished healing the wound Scott had caused. The pain of the attack remained however, giving Alexander a quick pat on the shoulder she moved to the video control system and pressed play once more. 

+XW+

(Earth-619, secret hideout)

Essex growled as he watched the readings on the scanner hooked up beside the unconscious body of Jean Grey. He had hoped the process of altering her memories would be easy, but he had underestimated the red head. Or more to the point he had underestimated the Phoenix whose power resided inside her. It was protecting her mind even with her rendered unconscious. Stepping away he ordered her put back with the other captured X-Men. He would have to reconsider how to go about reprogramming them. Or maybe he should try the current process on one of the others, frowning he decided to take a break before trying the process again. One needed to be clear minded before attempting such complicated surgery. He was stopped halfway to his office by Scott Summers. 

“Well?” Summers demanded. “Can you do what you said or not?” he continued with a glare which did little to impress Essex. 

“Of course I can, but it seems I must rework things if I’m to succeed in altering Jean Grey’s memories thanks to the Phoenix power she controls,” Essex responded, keeping his temper under control. Once he had succeeded in altering the memories of Grey and the rest of the X-Men he would ensure Summers ended up as enslaved as his former allies. They would all serve him in the end. He would use the process on other heroes, mutant or not. There was nothing his beast could not eventually subdue. It was the pinnacle of genetic research. Research that had taken him years to complete, research he had to do in secret as his fellow scientists called him insane for wanting to perfect human DNA. 

“So you failed,” Summers growled, angry at the delay. 

“I simply didn’t take into account the sort of power she possesses. Phoenix is unique and even though its host is unconscious it seems it is still able to protect her,” Essex pointed out. “I will find a way to alter her mind, it will just simply take a bit more time,” he stated coldly. “I explained that when we first agreed to work together, playing with the mind is not an easy thing to do no matter how smart you are,” he told the man before him. “Now get out of my way before you end up like your former friends. I don’t take kindly too being shouted at, especially by people with no appreciation or true understanding of science,” he ordered. 

Scott Summers glared at the man before slowly getting out of his way and allowing him to walk to his office. His tone grated on his nerves, but he dared not do anything just yet as he still needed him if he was ever to regain Jean. Once he had her back at his side, he would ensure Essex got what he deserved he promised himself. 

+XW+

(Earth-619, X-Mansion)

Alexander finally began to feel the pain of Summer’s attack fade and he had to admit the attack had caught him off guard. The power the older man possessed wasn’t something to scoff at, still the fact he had scored the hit annoyed him. On one hand he shouldn’t have attacked as Frost was correct in one regard, this Scott Summers wasn’t the one he knew or despised. On the other seeing that it was Summers who had again attacked his family had sent him into a frenzy. Why the dumb shit couldn’t take no for an answer was beyond him. Meeting the Scott Summers from the other dimension, he couldn’t say there was much difference between the two. This one was just as arrogant as his own dimensions version of him, his actions in their second meeting made him wonder what he would do if Jean left him for Logan just as she had in his own dimension. 

“Wait. Stop it,” Hank shouted as he noted someone else enter just behind Scott’s double and surrounded by guards. “Professor, Jean look closely at this man here and tell me it is not who I think it is,” he said urgently. 

Xavier and Jean both peered at the screen and the man Hank was pointing too, Jean let out a shocked gasp as it filtered in who it was or at least who it looked like. Xavier frowned. ‘Could it be?’ he wondered. 

“It’s Sinister or at least it looks like him,” Jean stated, still feeling shocked by the revelation. This made Scott forget their latest argument and move to the screen to take a better look. He even ignored Logan and Alexander when they came to look over his shoulder. 

“He looks like Sinister except he is not in his normal armor and neither his is skin its usual blue color,” Logan pointed out and Scott took a second look noting his team mate was correct. “I didn’t get a whiff of his scent when we were upstairs, maybe it is different here somehow,” he mused aloud to himself. 

“Perhaps this is a Sinister who is not a mutant?” Kitty suggested, gaining everyone’s attention. “I mean this is a different dimension, and we know there are hundreds of them in the multiverse,” she said as they all turned to look at her. “Isn’t it possible one of them, even this one could be a dimension where one of the big differences is who is a mutant and who is not?” she pointed out. 

“An interesting idea Kitty,” Xavier said with a smile, pleased by the young girl’s insight. “If true it means while not being a mutant and thus not as dangerous as his counterpart in our own dimension, it still means he has his obsession with genetics. Why else would he be involved in this attack?” he mused aloud. 

“Considering the creature he created here Professor,” Ororo spoke up with a frown. “I believe this Sinister may be more dangerous even without mutant powers, our own has never created anything like this monster,” she pointed out. “He may be smarter and more twisted in what research he is into,” she stated. 

“Storm may have a point,” Gambit agreed with a nod of his head in her direction. “Any plan we conceive will have to take that into account,” he told them and some of the others nodded in agreement. 

“At least now we know who we are looking for,” Eric told them all, cutting off any further discussion. “Alexander please lead Charles to Cerebro so we can locate their base of operations,” he ordered.

“You will have to come too Professor,” Alexander replied as he moved to the door thankful to finally know who had struck at his family and friends. “It is coded to your voice and password,” he added, not noticing the shocked look that fleetingly passed over Eric’s face at been addressed like this. 

“Do you know what his password is?” Xavier inquired as they followed the young mutant and frowned when Alexander shook his head in the negative. 

“I believe I can guess what my counterpart would use as a password Charles,” Eric told him confidently. “If it were me there would be only one thing I could possibly use,” he added. 

“Your wife’s name,” Xavier said softly, remembering the many nights they had discussed his family back when they had been best friends. He had never met Eric’s wife, but he wished he had. 

“Indeed,” Eric responded as he felt the usual agony thinking about his lost wife brought him. “I take it she died here as well?” he asked Alexander quietly. 

“I’m afraid so Professor,” Alexander answered with true sorrow in his tone. “You’ve only talked about her a few times to us, but from what you have said we know she was a very special woman,” he told him. 

“That she was Alexander,” Eric replied with a smile as he pictured Magda’s face. 

Silence fell as they approached the steel door that led to Cerebro, Eric quickly ordered the door open only to be asked for a password in what had to be the voice of his daughter Lorna. “Magda,” he said softly and was unsurprised as the door slid open. 

Alexander and Eric stayed outside as the other X-Men joined them just as the door slid shut once more, now all they had to do was wait for the Professor to locate either Scott’s double or Sinister then they could really get their mission underway. 

While they waited Alexander took a deep breath, turned to Scot and surprised everyone by saying, “Even if I don’t like you much I have to apologize for attacking you. That was out of turn and you aren’t to be blamed for what the Oneeye from this side did. So I just say it. Sorry.”  
8\. Chapter 8

(Earth-619, X-Mansion)

Scott didn’t say anything in response to Alexander’s rather weak apology; at least it was weak in his mind. He hated having to help him, hated having to be civil to him. But after finding out his counterpart had been the one who helped Sinister’s counterpart attack the mansion, well things were already shaky within the group so he was doing his best to not make things worse. He was beset on all sides in his mind. Thanks to Alexander returning his marriage to Jean was failing far faster than ever before. Xavier, Magneto and the others were supporting Alexander in their last clash. The fact that had Jean and Logan not intercepted the brat he would likely have ended up with three claws in his chest seemed to escape them. Then he had his former wife Madelyne back in her right mind glaring at him. Her look promised a showdown that was he was sure in her mind long overdue. Only Emma seemed to be on his side, and thanks to Madelyne he knew that was mostly because she had feelings for him. On that issue he had to watch what he thought of his situation with Jean would only get worse, inside however he was pleased he had captured Emma’s attention and maybe more. Yet he still loved Jean and didn’t want to lose her. But did either of them have enough love left for the other to stay together?

Alexander didn’t care whether Scott accepted his apology or not, but at least he could say he tried. He paced as much as he could as the hallway was filled now with the rest of the team, time had to be rapidly against them by now. Jean watched her son pace knowing like Logan he had to be rapidly losing control over his temper, his last blow out when it was revealed Scott’s counterpart was a part of this proved that. She just hoped he would have enough control not to do anything foolish. She glanced at Logan and noted he had his eyes closed and was paying little attention to what was going on while they waited. She felt the urge to take a peek into his thoughts, but she restrained herself. They had enough problems to deal with and did not need any more. 

“So does anyone have any plans on how we deal with the monster Sinister has created?” Rogue inquired as she leaned against Gambit. 

“We still don’t know for sure it is Sinister Rogue,” Kurt pointed out. 

“It has to be him Kurt,” Rogue shot back “The guy on that recording looks just like him only without the blue skin our Sinister has,” she argued back at her friend.

“I think it is more than likely that it is him,” Jean stated, entering into the conversation. “The pattern is just too familiar for it to be anyone else, and no one else we know has the scientific knowledge and obsession with Mutant DNA to do this,” she explained her reasoning as the others turned to look at her except Logan who just nodded his head in her direction, but kept his eyes closed. 

“Perhaps we can get to Sinister before he can activate the monster,” Bobby suggested with a careless shrug.

“That would only work if the monster is kept in a non active state in the first place,” Scott argued with a shake of his head as his mind turned to the problem at hand. 

“If I was in charge of the monster I’d make damn sure I could control it, but I would also want to ensure it was ready to defend me quickly so I would have a standby mode built into it,” Logan spoke up finally opening his eyes. 

“A code word or switch perhaps?” Wanda suggested picking up the feral mutant’s train of thought. 

“We could send Kurt in and attempt to find out,” Emma stated with a glint in her eye as she came up with a plan. “His powers are helpful to get in without being seen. He can also blend into the shadows due to his blue fur,” she continued. 

“Think again Frost,” Wanda shot back. “Whilst Nightcrawler’s powers are good for stealth, we have no idea what kind of security Sinister or his lookalike has in his base,” she argued with a glare at the blond. She didn’t like how easily she had put forward Kurt for the job, more to the point she hadn’t even thought about what kind of danger he might be porting into. “If he was captured it would give away our element of surprise,” she stated. 

“I agree with the witch,” Logan growled out with a look at Frost who looked annoyed her idea had been shot down. “We have the advantage as long as they don’t know we are there, right up to the moment we strike,” he told them.

“But without any recon we won’t know what to expect when we do attack,” Gambit argued. “It is possible the monster that attacked Alexander and his group is not the only one he created,” he pointed out. 

“Possible, but would he really have the supplies to create more than one of those things?” Alexander shot back. 

“It depends on how long it took to make the first one and of course what went into making it,” Beast was the one who answered. “Considering the powers Alexander stated that it showed, I don’t believe this man who looks like Sinister could create more than one or two at best on a small time table,” he said in a contemplative manner.

“What if he’s been planning all this on a large time table? Say he began this whole thing a year or so ago?” Pietro suggested as he decided to play devil’s advocate. “I mean we have no clue when he and the double of Summers even met, do we?” he added. 

“Pietro does have a point” Kurt agreed. “We have no idea when they put this plan into effect or how long they have been planning it,” he continued with a frown. 

Before any of them could say anything more the doors to Cerebro opened and Xavier and Magneto exited. Alexander tried to get some sort of idea if any of his family were okay, but he couldn’t tell anything from the man’s look. 

“Did you find them Professor?” Jean inquired before anyone else could. 

“I did,” Xavier answered with a nod of his head. “They are in a cave complex just outside Montana, it is well hidden, but I have the entrance’s location,” he told them.

“Did you get any kind of idea of what we will face when we attack?” Scott inquired.

“Twenty to thirty guards plus your double and Essex,” Xavier answered as he steepled his fingers together. “This is Sinister we are dealing with, however as Kitty suggested he is no mutant in this dimension,” he explained and even as he did so he could not help but wonder what was the changing point that made him a non-mutant here and a mutant back in their home dimension. 

“Fascinating,” Beast mused aloud as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I can’t help but wonder what the unique event was that made the difference,” he added. 

“You are not the only one Hank,” Xavier responded with a smile. “But we have no time to discuss this twist, at the moment Essex is attempting to alter the memories of Alexander’s team mates,” he admitted. 

Alexander instantly stiffened at this news, Jean felt his alarm and fear at the news instantly hit him. She moved closer to him worried that it may prove to be a step too far, his control was frayed already and this could push him over the edge. But to her relief she felt him push both to the side. She felt his control strengthen as best as he could. She knew he was though like Logan himself and when the time came to fight that he would let loose on the enemy letting out all his rage. 

“Has he succeeded?” Alexander finally managed to ask. 

“No, he attempted it first on your mother, but has found Phoenix to be a hard being to break,” Xavier answered, knowing this news was not going to go down well. “Even now he is attempting to revise his process of altering minds to compensate for this, which at least means we have time to strike,” he explained. 

“You managed to get quite a bit out of his head,” Emma couldn’t help but point out. 

“Indeed I did Emma,” Xavier agreed. “Essex has never had his mind probed and thus did not detect my intrusion,” he told them with a smile. “Now we must board the Blackbird and reach his base as quickly as possible, while in flight we will come up with a plan of attack,” he continued. 

“Why not just use Jean and the others to transport us there?” Kitty inquired with a frown. “I mean time is against us right?” she added when Xavier glanced at her.

“It is Kitty, but for one neither Alexander nor the others have been to this cave complex and two I want them at full power when we attack,” Xavier answered as he headed towards the hangar bay with the others following. “We will need everyone at their strongest if we are to have any hope of taking this monster Essex has created down,” he explained his reasoning, knowing they were all thinking the same thing. 

“Then we push the engines hard,” Alexander told them as he headed straight for the sleek black plane now in front of them once the doors had opened. No one else said anything. They all piled onto the plane while Alexander and Storm brought the engines online. Jean took the controls and slowly the Blackbird lifted up and out of the secret hangar which was below the tennis courts. Alexander sat next to Madelyne and hoped they made good time. 

“Hold onto your butts,” Jean said with a grin as she pushed the controls forward and gunned the engines. 

+XW+

(Earth-619, secret hideout)

Essex let out a frustrated sigh as he tried to think up a revision to his mind alteration process, something that would be effective against the powers of the Phoenix within Jean Grey. But so far his mind was blank, leaning back in his seat he wondered what it was he was missing. He had spent a fair amount of money on this whole scheme, and he had no intention of seeing it fail. He had the X-Men in his grasp and he had their DNA as well, that alone made this plan worth the money spent on it. But he wanted the whole thing to succeed; he wanted to bend the X-Men to his will and his will alone. He would become known throughout the world as the man who beat the so called invincible X-Men. It would be the crowning moment of his career as it would prove his ideas on genetics were correct. That his peers were wrong to exile him and throw him out for his so called radical ideas, but how to succeed in turning Jean Grey to his will? That was his problem right now. He had half a mind to start the process on one of the other X-Men, but he knew this problem wouldn’t go away, best he solved it now so he would have the all mighty Phoenix as his servant. 

He spun around as he heard someone enter his lab, he almost groaned as he noted it was Scott Summers who was becoming an annoyance. But once he had perfected his process of altering minds, Summers would end up just like his former allies as his servant just as he had planned. 

“Something on your mind Summers?” he inquired before the man could start complaining again. 

“I think we should attempt to locate Logan’s bastard son before he can rally any help to rescue the others,” Summers responded as calmly as he could. 

“Help?” Essex snorted in amusement. “What help could he get that could help him locate us?” he inquired almost sarcastically. “You forget that the boy has no idea who attacked him and his fellow X-Men, nor does he have any idea where to start looking,” he argued as he stood up and faced his supposed ally. 

“Don’t underestimate him Essex, you forget that others before you have temporarily defeated the X-Men only to be beaten once they failed to pay the proper attention to them as prisoners,” Summers shot back heatedly. “The X-Men have allies all over the place including the Avengers, he could locate us if he is lucky,” he pointed out. 

“Again how would he even know where to start looking? He has no clues about the origins of his attackers,” Essex replied with a patient sigh. “Nor does he have any clue you are involved,” he added. “The only reason you want Jean Grey’s son found is so your revenge on them can include him as well,” he continued after a few seconds. “Admit it,” he said with a smirk. 

Summers growled in response as he knew it was the actual truth. He did want to ensure his revenge was complete on Logan and his entire family. That included Alexander, the son that should have been his had Logan not seduced Jean. 

“He is a Phoenix host too remember and it may just be that his mind may be more easy to bend to your will than Jean’s,” Summers argued. “Capture him, bend him to your will and you have a weapon to use against Jean, maybe leverage in letting you control her,” he continued. 

“Something I can just as easily do with her daughter,” Essex pointed out. 

“But she is not a Phoenix host, maybe working on Alexander will allow you to find the key that will help you control Phoenix and Jean herself,” Summers countered quickly. 

Essex glared at the man knowing he had actually put forth a good suggestion. It was possible working on the offspring of Phoenix might reveal the key to subjugating Phoenix herself. He paced up and down for a few minutes as he considered his next move. ‘Was it really worth the effort in tracking the boy down?’ he asked himself. In the end he decided that it was worth it, just in case the boy was the key in gaining control of Jean Grey and the Phoenix.

“Fine I’ll have my people start looking for the boy,” Essex finally gave in before glaring at Summers. “Understand this though, I’m not doing this for your revenge, but for my science,” he told him in a tone which was meant to put Summers in his place, but seemed to have little effect on the mutant. “As for you, I suggest you go and take a break, constantly interrupting me will not help me break Phoenix,” he added as he turned and sat back down. 

Summers glared at his back before turning and heading towards his room, at least he could satisfy himself in convincing Essex in going after Alexander. As he lay on his bed he couldn’t help but smirk, when the boy was brought in he was going to make him suffer. 

+XW+

(Blackbird)

Logan sat beside Jean and Alexander as he contemplated more than just the rather big fight was coming, he couldn’t help but think about meeting Alexander’s real father, his alternate self. He was going to meet the man who had achieved his dream, his alternate had married the alternate Jean and had a family with her. That would be painful to face, because as far as he could see he would never achieve his dream he thought with a pained sigh. He turned and looked out of one of the windows as his mind wandered. He failed to note Jean watching him with an unsure look. She could read his thoughts easily as he was failing to control his thoughts in his focus on the negative, she could feel his pain, but she did not know how to ease it. Even with her marriage on the point of failing, that didn’t mean she was ready to let it go just yet. Yet she could not deny her feelings for Logan anymore either, she was confused as to what was the right thing to do not only for herself, but for Rachel and Scott as well. Never in all her life had she suspected to come to such a cross roads, when this mission was over she would have to take a long look at her life and make a choice that could forever alter her life and those closest to her. 

Alexander sat stiffly in his chair as he tried to put aside his concerns for his family and friends, now held captive by Summers and this Sinister look alike. He had to focus on rescuing them, and he had to focus on beating the monster that had brought the X-Men down. Even with the alternate version of the X-Men and Magneto and is children it would be a hard fight. The result of the fight would decide the fate of his friends and family. One thing he intended at the end should they win was to ensure that Scott Summers never threatened his friends and family again. No, this time he would ensure he was ended permanently no matter what the Professor kept telling them. 

Jean failed to catch his thoughts as she was focused on her own concerns, Madelyne did however pick them up, leaving her to decide what to do about it. She knew the X-Men as a whole didn’t believe in killing their enemies, and while she was Jean Grey’s clone she was her own person with her own beliefs. Even with her mind now healed thanks to Alexander, Rachel and Jean she still believed killing one’s enemies was a valid action if that enemy kept coming after them. She glanced at Jean and wondered if she should say anything at all, but seeing and sensing Jean’s confusion she decided to let it rest for now. 

“So do we have any idea how to beat this monster or to successfully rescue the alternate X-Men?” Storm inquired.

“I suggest we split the team into two,” Xavier answered, having been discussing this very question with Magneto mind to mind. “One team draws the attention of the guards and the monster with a frontal attack, while the second sneaks in using Kurt’s teleportation to locate and free Alexander’s team mates,” he explained. “They can then help us,” he added. 

“That puts the pressure on the assault team to hold against not only the guards, but the monster as well,” Scott pointed out. 

“We can handle it one eye,” Logan growled in response liking the plan. “We put our strongest members in the assault team and we’ll hold as long as necessary,” he stated confidently. “That will keep their eyes firmly on us, so the smaller infiltration team can get into the base and find Alexander’s team,” he said with certainty. 

The others all nodded in agreement with the plan much to Scott’s annoyance. The only one who seemed dubious of it was Emma he noted, but she was keeping quiet more than likely knowing it would be a waste of time. He glanced at Jean, but noted she was staring at the back of Logan’s head. Logan himself was staring out the window unaware he was been watched. He wondered what was going through his wife’s head. Looking away he focused on the fight to come, then he would hopefully come up with something to say to Jean when they got home.  
9\. Chapter 9

(Blackbird)

Alexander sat as still as he could as he tried to ignore the worry he felt for his mother and the rest of his family and friends held by Essex and Summers. Knowing they were trying to alter his mother’s memories drove him insane and made him fear that they would succeed before they could be rescued. His hatred of Scott Summers had reached an all-time high, his thirst to end the threat he posed to the X-men and more importantly to his family was almost uncontrollable even though he knew it went against everything the X-men believed in. 

Jean and Madelyne who had been monitoring his thoughts grew more and more worried about his emotional state. If Alexander lost it during the fight he may end up biting off more than he could chew and worse he could do something he would regret for the rest of his life. 

Jean kept her eyes focused on the controls of the plane as she flew the Blackbird straight towards the base Essex and the alternate Scott Summers were hiding in, however her mind continued to monitor not only Alexander, but Logan as well. Logan was growing just as restless as their son. She found a smile trying to emerge as that thought passed through her. It had a nice ring to it, she couldn’t help to think, before trying to dislodge the thought as now was not the time to be thinking of such things. 

“How much longer?” Alexander inquired in a very agitated tone as his patience began to fray. 

“Ten minutes Alex,” Jean answered, knowing he wanted to be on the ground already. ‘Please calm down Alex. We’ll find your family and your friends and we will save them,’ she added telepathically hoping to get Alexander to regain some control. ‘Don’t do anything stupid in your rush to save them,’ she continued. 

‘I’m trying mom,’ Alexander responded, having already suspected she knew how close he was to losing it. The rage he felt was like a living entity inside him, this was beyond anything he had felt before. 

Jean, in response, pushed the engines as hard as she could. She felt Scott’s eyes on her and she could already tell he was wondering why she had increased their speed. She glanced beside her where Storm sat in the copilot’s chair, but she showed no problem with the increase in speed, turning back she began to prep the bird for landing. 

“We’re almost at the landing site Professor,” Storm announced with a short glance behind her. “Activating stealth and sound dampeners now,” she added as she flicked the necessary switches. 

“Good, I’ve already done a short telepathic scan and found no guards near our landing site,” Xavier informed them all. “The closest guards are centered around the entrance to the cave complex,” he explained. 

“How many?” Logan inquired as he leaned forward, wanting the information to plan a way in, just in case Oneeye failed to see one. 

“Five in total, two in front of the entrance and the three others roving around the sides and back,” Xavier answered and then went silent as he let his team think over a way in which he knew they would do. 

“Stealth is our best option here,” Logan said straight of the bat. “We can’t let them know we are there until our infiltration team is inside and ready to go,” he continued as everyone bar Jean and Storm, who were flying the Blackbird, turned to look at him. “Chuck, does Essex have any other mutants working for him besides the alternate Summers?” he inquired after a short pause. 

“No he doesn’t,” Xavier answered with a shake of his head. “In fact besides Scott’s alternate I sense no other mutants within the cave complex. I believe Alexander’s team mates are located within a shielded area which blocks me from picking them up with my telepathic powers,” he informed them. 

“What about the monster, Professor?” Hank inquired from behind him. “Can you sense anything from it as Alexander did say it had quite a few mutant powers somehow integrated inside it,” he added as Xavier turned to look at him. 

“I currently can’t pick it up Hank, so I assume it is in a state of inactivity if our theory of Essex somehow controlling it is correct,” he answered. 

“A theory that could be wrong Charles,” Eric pointed out, feeling slightly nostalgic at teaming with his old friend again. “We have no way to know how this monster works, it maybe that it was created in such a way that you can’t sense it with your telepathy,” he suggested. 

“We can discuss this another time,” Alexander growled, interrupting them before they could continue their discussion. “How do we take out the guards without them giving us away?” he asked, bringing them back to the original topic.

“Elf, you’re up,” Logan growled in answer before Scott could say anything. “Take the three roving guards out first, quick and clean, and then hit the two guarding the entrance,” he suggested. “Oneeye the minute he hits the first of the two you take out the last with your visor before he can react,” he added, not missing the frown Scott sent him for seemingly taking charge. 

“I’m in charge of the field team Logan, remember that,” Scott said through clinched teeth unable to stop himself from saying anything. 

“Actually I’m for this mission Scott, need I to remind you?” Xavier cut in before the two could go at each other once more. “And Logan’s plan sounds like it will work with little opportunity for the guards to react,” he told him, when Scott turned to look him in the eye as he was reminded that Xavier had exercised his right to take charge for this particular mission. 

“I agree,” Eric put in with a nod of his head. “Nightcrawler’s powers are best suited for this kind of attack. He is also quick and agile, which combined with his powers make him quite lethal if he wanted to be,” he added with a smirk aimed directly at Summers who ground his teeth in annoyance at having to listen to the man’s words so calmly. 

“We are coming in for landing, everyone get ready,” Storm called as she and Jean brought the Blackbird down into a small clearing a few meters away from the cave complex. 

+XW+

(Secret hideout entrance)

The guards felt a slight breeze, but saw and heard nothing as they looked around. Turning away they failed to see the nearby tree’s bend slightly as they were hit by the wings of the Blackbird as it came to a halt. The nearby tree’s also held cover the group’s disembarking from the now hidden jet, which remained invisible due to the powerful stealth systems on board. Scott quickly moved into a position where he could see the two guards at the entrance. He stayed out of sight as they continued to look around and watch for any signs of a threat. The other X-Men spread out and waited, while Xavier did a quick scan of the area, but he still found only five guards on the outside of the complex. 

“Ok Kurt, begin,” Xavier ordered as he stopped scanning and turned to look at the young blue furred mutant who nodded before vanishing in a puff of black smoke. 

Kurt reappeared just above the guard on the east side of the cave complex and he dropped straight down onto the man. The man went to cry out, but Kurt quickly used his tail to wrap around his neck hard, this cut of his circulation and stopped the cry before it even began. He pulled the man down and then smashed his first twice into the man’s face, this rendered the man unconscious. Kurt quickly vanished again to attack the next man using the same tactic. However he had vanished to quickly as the third guard from the west side walked towards them. The man saw his fellow guard down and quickly went for his radio, he never saw Kurt appear behind him or launch a vicious kick to the back of his head which he followed up with a sharp jab to his neck to ensure he was out cold.

‘Ok Professor the three roving guards are down, tell Scott I’m now heading for the right sided guard at the entrance so he should target the left sided one,’ he sent over the telepathic link the Professor had created so they could keep in contact without giving themselves away. He had complete trust in the Professor and Scott to be ready when he attacked, sure enough the minute he reappeared and dropped onto the right sided guard Scott unleashed a blast from his visor that took out the left sided, but didn’t permanently harm him. The visor that allowed Scott to harness his power could be set to different levels, thus he had used a low setting which was just powerful enough to knock the guard out. Kurt smashed the other guard’s head into the rocky cave wall and watched as he collapsed unconscious as well, he watched as all the other X-men appeared almost as one.

“Not bad elf,” Logan grunted with a short grin. “Kitty, Bobby get some rope and bind them all just in case any of them comes to faster than we anticipate,” he ordered, once again getting first word in before Scott. 

“So now what Professor?” Alexander inquired, barely holding himself for charging into the base and hitting anything that moved. 

“We split up,” Xavier answered. “Kurt and Kitty will take a small infiltration team into the base to find your team mates and free them while the assault team keeps Essex and his forces occupied long enough for them to succeed just as we discussed,” he explained steepling his fingers together. 

“Eric will lead the assault team inside, you will obey his orders during this mission and I don’t want to hear your objections Scott,” Xavier continued, cutting off Scott before he could start arguing this choice. “The team will consist of Eric, Scott, Emma, Logan, Alexander, Madelyne, Storm, Beast, Rogue, Rachel, and Bobby,” he decided. “The infiltration team will be led by Jean and myself and take the rest of the team consisting of myself, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, Rahne, Pietro, Gambit and Wanda,” he went on. “As soon as we find Alexander’s team mates and wake them up, we will join the fight and bring this situation to a close,” he concluded. 

“Rules of engagement Charles?” Eric inquired as he listened to Charles plan the mission out as just as in the old days usually with input from himself. 

“Essex and Summers must be taken alive I will make that clear now, especially to you Alexander,” Xavier answered thankful that his old friend had reminded him about this particular point. “I’m not blind to your desire to kill him and end the threat he represents to your family and especially to your mother, but we are X-Men and we don’t kill unless there is no other way,” he stated staring at the younger man who glared back at him before he turned to look at Jean who walked over and met his stare until he finally reluctantly nodded in agreement. “I know it is difficult Alexander, but if you kill him then you will put yourself onto the same path that destroyed your Scott Summers,” he said as seriously as he could, hoping to get this particular point across. 

This conversation made him remember the final break between him and Eric all those years ago, they had a similar argument but he had not been able to stop his friend from taking the life of the man who had killed his wife. It was a moment in time that came to define Eric just as much as his time in the concentration camps of the Nazi’s did back when he was a child. It had only increased the hatred and rage Eric felt for the human race. Now he saw the same moment appear for this alternate son of Jean and Logan, and with so much power in his grasp should he follow the same path as Eric had trod then this world they were in may well end up in flames. At least Eric hadn’t gone completely down that dark path he reminded himself, had he done so then he wouldn’t be teaming up with them to help save Alexander’s team.

Eric himself was having similar thoughts as he watched Charles try and sway the young man away from committing murder in the name of revenge, something he was very familiar with. He saw it was actually Jean’s silent encouragement to listen to Charles speech that convinced him to agree to his old friend’s speech, now that was interesting to watch he thought. Turning he noted the longing look Logan gave Jean before he turned away, clearly the Wolverine had not given up on loving the red head, not that he had expected any differently. It was the one constant of the wild man, much like his thirst to see mutant kind be given the rightful recognition and standing in the world and Charles endless optimism that the world could be united together as one. 

“And the same with the other guards as well, do not kill them, unless there is no other choice,” Xavier continued, breaking into Eric’s thoughts and bringing him back to the present. “Give us five minutes to get inside before you begin your attack Eric and good luck,” he added, turning to face his old friend before he moved his wheelchair over to where Kurt and the rest of his small team waited. Two by two Kurt teleported them inside after a quick scout ahead to find somewhere to put them down, as he vanished with Wanda who was the last of the team to need teleportation those left behind turned to look at the master of magnetism, who for this mission was their leader. 

“Prepare yourselves,” Eric ordered as his Magneto personality pushed his calmer personality aside, now was not the time to be calm. “The guards should be relatively simple to deal with, but once the monster appears we will be in for the fight of our lives,” he continued as he moved towards the large metal door, that to him would prove little trouble to open. “Do not get reckless and try and tackle it yourself, in this I mean you Wolverine and your son, we take it down together as best as we can,” he added, glancing at the feral mutant who just smirked in response at being singled out. 

“And if we can’t take it down even with our combined powers?” Storm inquired with a raised eyebrow. 

“Then we wait for reinforcements in the form of Charles, his team and Alexander’s X-Men,” Magneto stated firmly in response, glancing at the white haired weather witch. “No matter how strong and powerful this monster is, with the combined powers of two complete teams of X-Men, which include five Phoenix hosts, I feel confident it will go down in the end,” he told them. 

“I hope you’re right Professor,” Alexander responded with a slight shiver going up his spine at the idea of facing this monster once more. But he knew it had to be done if his family and friends were to be saved, he wouldn’t shrink from his duty no matter the threat.

“I don’t like this,” Emma whispered to Scott as they moved a bit away from the others. “Putting Magneto of all people in charge,” she added before she felt someone’s eyes on her. Turning she noted Madelyne glaring at her and Scott. Scott noting her distraction turned as well and tried his best to ignore the glare his ex-wife sent him.

So far Madelyne had stayed away from him and not confronted him about his abandonment of her and their son, or the consequences his abandonment caused for her and their son. He knew she blamed him for her descent into madness, then for whom or whatever it was that turned her into the Goblin Queen. She also blamed him for not being there to help protect their son when he was abducted and sent into the future to become the warrior Cable. She had already revealed to Jean his feelings for Emma just before she was healed, causing even more damage to their marriage. A marriage he knew was failing and he could find no way to stop it. His last argument with Jean still ran through his head, turning away from the copy of his current wife he glanced back at Emma to find her still glaring back at Madelyne. 

“Stop it Emma,” Scott told her gaining her attention quite quickly. “You are only playing into her hands by glaring back,” he added as an explanation. “Ignore her,” he advised before running a hand through his hair and deciding to change the conversation. “I don’t like this anymore than you do, but we can’t go against the Professor especially as the others are willing to trust his judgment in placing Magneto in charge of this team,” he said in clear disapproval of the Professor’s choice.

“There must be something you can do,” Emma argued as she glared at Magneto’s back. “You are team leader,” she reminded him.

“No, not right now I’m not,” Scott shot back, annoyed to be reminded he had been replaced as team leader by the Professor for the first time in years. “Xavier relieved me of command, remember?” he said almost bitterly. That combined with his marriage problems and his hatred of Alexander, especially in light of his almost gutting him, threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced it all back down.

He was loyal to the dream Xavier had given him long ago, he wouldn’t allow himself to be consumed by hatred or bitterness like this mirror version of himself had that Alexander so hated that he had transferred a lot of that hatred to him from their very first meeting. 

“For now we wait and see just how Magneto handles leadership of the X-Men,” Scott told her finally. “If he even looks to be turning on us then we do something,” he added when Emma stared at him in slight disbelief. 

“Hey One-eye,” Logan called out making him glance at the other man, the man who just might finally come between him and Jean. “It’s time, get over here,” Logan added much to his annoyance. 

Eric raised his hands and using his powers he rent the large metal doors apart as if they were nothing but paper. Logan and Alexander led the charge inside knowing from this point on it was all or nothing. 

+XW+

(Secret hideout, five minutes before)

Xavier looked around the room Kurt had teleported them into, noting it was some sort of storage room if the multiple boxes piled up were any indication. He turned to look at Jean who had her eyes closed and was clearly scanning the nearby area, the rest of the team spread out and waited for orders. 

“There is no one nearby Professor,” Jean informed them as she opened her eyes and stopped scanning. “This part of the complex is empty,” she added. 

“Good, that means we won’t be seen as we try and locate Alexander’s team mates for a time,” Xavier replied. “Still we will have to keep an eye out and ensure we are not detected. It’s clear that the room they are been kept in will be guarded by more than just guards,” he mused. 

“Agreed and we can suspect it might be close to the lab Essex is working in,” Jean said with a nod of her head. 

“So we will have to be extra quiet when we find it,” Kurt suggested to which both of the adult X-Men nodded in agreement. 

“We have three minutes before Eric begins his attack, so let us get moving,” Xavier ordered as he indicated Kurt and Gambit to open the door. 

Once opened the team moved out into the complex, hoping that locating Alexander’s team mates would prove simpler than keeping the guards and more importantly the monster Essex had created occupied.  
10\. Chapter 10

(Secret hideout)

Summers glanced up as the sound of fighting reached his ears, he quickly ran over to the security booth one of Essex’s guards sat at. Looking at the monitor he noted something that could not be true and yet he could see with his own eyes. Somehow a team of X-Men were attacking the base. He could see that little shit Alexander was a part of it, but he also saw others he knew had been captured and put into deep sleep. A presence on his shoulder made him turn to see Essex’s looking as well, and from the look on his face he looked just as surprised and puzzled by this as he was. 

“It can’t be them, I just checked with the guards and no one has gone near the cells where the X-Men are being kept,” Essex protested, annoyed by the interruption to his work. 

“Duplicates,” Summers spat much to the confusion of the guards.

“Explain and quickly,” Essex commanded ignoring the glare Summers sent him for his tone. 

“Dimensional duplicates, that little shit must have crossed to another dimension and found another group of X-Men to help him,” Summers spat as it was the only answer as to how this was possible. 

“Wake the hybrid now,” Essex commanded to his guards, liking the idea of having two sets of X-Men to work on. “We’ll capture them just as easily as we did Alexander’s own team,” he said confidently. 

“This time we don’t have the element of surprise,” Summers warned him. “Although this group is missing some vital members, but everything is different when you go to other dimensions I remember some very odd combinations of X-Men I saw when I was still part of the team and we crossed over,” he said, getting a little lost in his memory.

“I have no interest in listening to you recite your past Summers,” Essex growled. “Just get out there and help subdue them before they take down anymore of my guards,” he ordered. “We need another few minutes to finish reactivating the Hybrid,”  
“Fine,” Summers growled in annoyance wishing more than anything he could drive his fist into Essex’s face, but for now he still needed the man. He turned and led a small group of guards towards the fighting. His only intent was to cause as much pain as he could to Logan’s bastard child that in his mind he had forced on Jean. 

Essex growled as he watched Summers leave. He couldn’t wait for this all to be over and that he then no longer needed to play along with Scott Summers. 

+XW+

Scott let loose a full blast from his eyes causing the guards to scatter, which allowed the other X-Men to get the drop on them. Logan and Alexander charged right into the group with Beast and Rogue backing them up. Emma moved to find some cover before she began to try and use her telepathic powers to put the guards down easily, however just as she began to activate her powers she was forced out of cover by an optic blast. Rolling on the floor she looked around wildly before seeing another Scott Summers come running towards the fight with more guards following. This had to be the alternate Scott. 

Summers quickly opened fire again, this time he aimed directly at Alexander’s exposed back, but his aim was knocked off balance as Bobby’s ice hit him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. Summers quickly recovered, but ignored Bobby and went straight for Alexander who was still unaware of his presence. Scott watched his double in shock heeding for Alexander, he wanted to warn the kid as no matter how much he despised him he was a part of the team and he knew Jean would not forgive him if he allowed him to come to harm yet he found himself frozen due to the look of loathing this other him wore. He would never have believed himself capable of such hatred and malice as he now saw on his double’s face, it was clear this Scott Summers was beyond redemption. 

“Alexander, behind you,” Rachel screamed as she took note of the danger to her half-brother. 

Alexander spun around to face the threat only to catch a full blown blast from Summer’s optic beam sending him flying halfway across the room and crashing into a wall. His head left a dent in the wall as he came to a halt and began to bleed. 

Scott winced at the impact and knew his inaction would have consequences. He stood and moved to intercept his double before Logan could as he knew the feral Mutant would more than likely gut him for what he had just done. Luckily Logan was busy fighting off a dozen guards who had surrounded him. Clearly they knew how dangerous he could be. His double came to a halt as he stood in his path and raised his hand to his visor in warning, facing this dark reflection made him want to shiver. 

“What the hell do you think you are doing protecting that bastard? He is a mistake that never should have been born,” Summers spat not as affected at facing his double as Scott was. “That fucking animal Logan took Jean from us and fucking impregnated her with his damn spawn twice. He took what was ours and made her give birth to that creature and his bitch sister,” he continued to rant, making Scott feel sick at the words coming out of his double’s mouth. Some of it he recognized as things he had said or thought recently, but the rest of it went beyond sanity and clearly the man was demented and overcome by the hatred and loathing he held for the alternate Logan and his children. Hell even claiming Jean as his like she was some sort of baggage or object to be owned was beyond his understanding. Jean had always been her own woman even though she was his wife he respected her desires and dreams and would never think of her as merely an object at least that was what he believed. 

“Jean is not an object to be owned by anyone and especially not us. She chose to leave you and be with your Logan and you should have respected that,” Scott finally found his voice. “Look at you, you’re like a demented psychopath frothing at the mouth,” he shouted. “You helped Essex attack and subdue your teammates,” he continued before being cut off. 

“Teammates? They stopped being teammates and family when they turned their backs on me and let that animal seduce Jean behind my back and take her from me, her rightful partner. They ignored how he took what was already taken and they had no care for Jean’s welfare when she took off with that animal,” Summers spat back. “And as for respecting Jean’s choice, there was no choice, she allowed herself to be blindsided by Logan’s seduction, thinking he could actually love her when that animal is not capable of love just plain lust,” he vented his hatred at his double ignoring the battle continuing around them. 

Scott shivered at that statement because only a few hours ago he had basically said the same thing to his Jean, he felt even sicker at this point the more he heard from his double. 

“He has turned Jean into nothing but his slut. She is not the pure and beautiful woman we once knew. He has tainted her with his evil and we have to save her. Now get out of my way or be moved,” the other Scott warned. 

“You’re insane,” Scott hissed as he opened fire, but Summers was already prepared and easily dodged the blast and rolled backwards before firing his own visor forcing Scott to dive out of the way. 

Magneto had taken note of the duel between the two Scott’s and was at least relieved that the man opposing the twisted double was not someone who might take his life, even considering his own past choices he did not want to have to face Charles for failing to stop Logan and worse Alexander from killing the alternate Scott Summers. Nor did he wish to face either Jean Grey or her alternate for failing to stop such an act from accruing, using his powers he sent a nearby metal cabinet into a guard who was aiming at Emma and knocked him out cold. Hearing a roar from somewhere in the base causing him to suppress a shiver, for he knew the beast that had taken down the alternate X-Men had been awoken. 

“The beast is awake and will be coming, be prepared,” he shouted as loud as he could so as to be heard over the sound of battle. He turned to see Kurt who had suddenly arrived only a few minutes ago jump at Wanda and teleport her away just as three guards appeared and fired at where his daughter had been. He breathed a sigh of relief before activating his powers again and sending a metal pylon at the men with more than enough force to injure them badly no matter what Charles had said, he would not allow anyone to attempt to murder his daughter without payback of some kind. 

Kurt and Wanda reappeared behind him, he was glad for the furry mutants actions in saving his daughter and they would go a long way in gaining his approval if his daughter ever decided to try and date Nightcrawler. He had seen her interest heighten of late in Kurt even when they were not taking part in these co-op missions. 

Rogue and Beast took down another two guards, even as Rachel unleashed her own telepathic power and shut down several more with a powerful psionic blast. Emma moved closer to them as did Madelyne in preparation for the arrival of the beast. 

Logan continued his battle with a dozen of the guards although he had already rendered four unconscious. Suddenly a fresh wave of guards arrived, but it was the beast moving up behind them that gave all of them pause. 

+XW+

Jean easily led the way through the maze of the underground base towards where she suspected the alternate X-Men were been kept. She could feel a sliver of power in the direction they were going since Kurt had ported them in before leaving to help the assault team having reasoned he was more helpful in that regard since they were already inside the base without having been detected. Xavier had agreed and Kurt had vanished, she wondered if Kurt’s issues with Kitty and his obvious attraction to Wanda who had decided to stick with her father just as they had split up had influenced his decision. Either way his absence didn’t hurt them, they had Kitty and Charles himself to help keep them from been seen. Suddenly she came to a dead stop as a searing pain ripped through her. She hissed in pain and leaned against the wall as she tried to refocus herself.

“Jean, what’s wrong?” Xavier inquired as he noted Jean’s sudden collapse against the wall.

“Alexander has been badly hurt, the alternate Scott attacked him with intent to kill,” Jean whispered as she managed to push the pain she was feeling from Alexander back. “He is unconscious and bleeding badly, Scott is now fighting his double and the beast is now awake,” she added.

“You were monitoring them?” Gambit inquired. 

“Yes, we needed to know when the beast showed and how well our team was doing so I kept a link to them all,” Jean replied as she finally pushed away from the wall and began to move again, although they all noted she seemed a bit unsteady. 

“Are you going to be okay Jean?” Rahne asked as she moved closer to the red head. 

“I will, it was just the amount of pain Alexander felt was more than I expected,” Jean explained. “Even having been told about the Scott of this dimension I would have never believed Scott could have such twisted hatred within him to actually try and kill someone with intent,” she stated with a shiver. “But this Scott is more evil than many of the enemies we have faced through the years. His mind is twisted by what he sees as Logan taking what was his as if I was an object to be owned,” she added with a frown not liking that thought at all. “His entire life is devoted to, in his mind, saving me from my damnation as Logan’s slut and to do that he is more than willing to destroy my mind and kill my children,” she spat the last part as her body glowed briefly with the phoenix fire before it faded as she regained control of herself. “How my alternate has dealt with him in the past is beyond me, but it makes me wonder what it would take for our Scott to fall to such darkness as well,” she admitted. 

“We all have a darkness inside us Jean as you well know, some of us give into it right from the start, some of us give in with time and some resist as hard as they can to remain good and pure,” Xavier mused as they continued to move hoping to relay this new fear within one of his first students. “This Scott may have given into his darkness the minute he was faced with a true challenge to his way of life, our Scott is not this Scott and so far he has weathered all challenges to his way of life including our Logan’s interest in you,” he pointed out as they came to a halt as Jean and Xavier felt the minds of two guards around the corner. 

Jean closed her eyes and wanted to shake her head at Xavier’s view of the situation between her, Logan and Scott. Scott was buckling under the pressure of living with the fact another man loved her and that she returned that love even if she refused to act on it. He had fallen for Emma and their marriage was a hairs breath from falling apart due to the recent arguments they’d been having. But the question in her mind now became could Scott face losing her to Logan if they did indeed decide to divorce? Could he remain himself knowing he had finally lost her to Logan? Because he had to know that if their marriage ended she would, in time, give in to her love for Logan. Would that warp her Scott’s mind as it had the Scott of this dimensions, or would the fact he was falling for Emma help him hold onto himself? She didn’t know and now was not the time to focus on it. She opened her eyes and all but causally reached out and put the two guards to sleep. 

“Let’s go, we need to wake our doubles and do it quickly,” Jean said as she moved around the corner and headed for the room the guards had been guarding. 

“What’s happened?” Kitty asked as she detected the sudden urgency coming from Jean. 

“The beast has attacked along with the last of the guards. We need to hurry,” Jean answered as she entered the room to find she had been correct as her double along with the rest of her team were laid out on separate beds. 

“At least they are all here,” Xavier said with a sigh of relief as he wheeled himself up to the bed where Eric’s daughter Lorna lay. “Now we need to wake them up,” he stated. 

“Before we do that we have to know how they are keeping them asleep,” Pietro responded even as he tried to ignore his worry for his sister and father in facing the creature that had already put down one team of X-Men. 

“Everyone spread out and look for the means they are using to keep them under, but move swiftly, time is against us,” Xavier ordered.  
11\. Chapter 11

Logan was beyond pissed as he took down another guard but still had two more to go before he could help fight the beast that was now assaulting the rest of the team. It had shown up faster than he had expected and worse Alexander still lay unconscious against the wall from the alternate Summer’s attack. The fact that Scott was now fighting his double was the only reason he had not barreled through the guards and attacked him himself, but having both him and Scott kept away from fighting the beast was going to put more pressure on the others to try and contain the beast until Jean and the others could arrive to help hopefully with Alexander’s X-Men at their side. Deciding to take drastic action he unleashed his claws and lashed out with precise movement and sent both guards to the ground with deep wounds to their legs, they’d possibly live even though he had struck at such a close point to vital veins and they could bleed out. 

“Sorry boys, have bigger fish to fry,” he spat as he let out a bestial roar and charged at the creature as it took a swing at Beast who easily jumped out of the way of the attack before he somersaulted away to a new attack position.

Logan smashed headfirst into the creature, but he hardly moved it at all even with the add weight of his metal skeleton, he slammed his right claw right into the creature making it roar in pain and making him smile, but his smile quickly vanished as soon as he removed the claw and the wound healed just like his own wounds did and he let out a curse before he was belted away with enough force to leave a dent in a wall. Collapsing to the ground he groaned in pain before forcing himself up and charging again. 

Storm waited until Logan was again sent flying this time through the wall making her want to wince as she imagined his pain before unleashing her power and hitting the beast with three lightning strikes. To her dismay the creature shrugged off the attacks and charged at Emma and Magneto forcing them to dive out of the way. Kurt tried to jump on the thing’s back, but was quickly shrugged off before been kicked with such force he was sent flying into the wall where Alexander still lay at the far back of the room. He did not move once he hit the wall and Wanda worried he might have some broken ribs from the force of the kick, quickly turning away and focusing on the fight she unleashed her own powers, but was shocked to find they too were shrugged off. 

“Damn it, what did Essex make this things skin out of?” Rogue snarled as she attacked and wailed on the creature with all of the strength she could muster, actually forcing the thing backwards two steps as Logan once again charged to help. 

Eric looked around for something he could use to try and contain the beast and finally found some more loose pylons. He reached out with his powers and sent them flying at the creature once it had knocked Rogue and Logan out of the way. As the pylons hit the creature he used his power to bend each one to wrap around the beasts hands and chest trapping it, he knew it would not last long but it would buy them a little time. The rest of his team bar those who had been injured began to attack the now trapped creature hoping to put it down, but apart from been pushed backwards it seemed to suffer little damage. 

Scott wiped blood from his nose as he again rose to his feet and charged his double, who was also just getting to his feet. He smashed right into him and sent him flying backwards. Glancing sideways he winced as he noted Kurt laid out next to Alexander clearly hurt, turning back to his double he was unsurprised to find him climbing back to his feet and getting ready to attack once more. 

+XW+

Jean winced as she felt Kurt’s mind fade and she knew he too had been taken out of the fight just as Alexander had, she just hoped he hadn’t been too badly hurt. The battle against the creature wasn’t going well. Sighing she stepped to where her double lay and reached out with her mind hoping to make contact telepathically. A few seconds went by and she was about to give up when Phoenix took over and she and her double was bathed in the fire of the phoenix. The others let out a gasp of surprise and backed off, not knowing whether to try and interfere or not, but considering Phoenix’s reactions to interference the last time it had acted they decided to let it do its work. 

“Any idea’s Professor what is happening?” Rahne inquired somewhat fearfully. 

“Not exactly but it would be my guess that Phoenix is trying to wake the alternate Jean up,” Xavier answered after thinking it over for a few seconds. 

“I think I have found one of the ways they have to keep them asleep,” Kitty admitted. 

“Looks like some sort of sleeping gas is being pumped into each of them through the machines hooked up beside each bed,” she explained as Xavier and Gambit moved closer to her. 

“Are we sure that is all that is keeping them asleep?” Gambit asked. 

“I am unsure, but I can’t see any other wires of masks near them,” Kitty answered with a shrug. “It has to be what is keeping them under,” she stated with as much confidence as she could. 

Suddenly the Phoenix fire around the two Jean’s exploded outward engulfing the room and shot out towards where their friends battled for their lives. The alternate Jean let out a gasp as she awoke and shot into a sitting position. Her eyes instantly locked with those of her double, the others watched as they reached out and grasped hands and the Phoenix fire seemed to encompass each of the unconscious X-Men. 

“What is happening Professor?” Kitty inquired a little unsure what to do. 

“I have no idea, but I believe they may be trying to wake them up using their joint powers,” Xavier speculated. 

“And the fire that shot out of here?” Pietro asked. 

“I have no idea,” Xavier admitted. 

+XW+

Essex cursed as he watched events unfold on his security monitors with a frown, permanently marring his features. This fight should have already been over considering how easily his beast had taken down the real X-Men. These dimensional doubles should have posed no threat, but then as he considered the fight as it unfolded he realized the fight against the real X-Men had been planned to the last decimal with each X-Men’s strengths and weaknesses imputed into the beast mind so he knew how to dispose of them quickly. The array of powers infused in the beast had been calculated to maximum effect, yet somehow these doubles were holding their own and he began to consider that maybe their strengths and weaknesses were different to the real X-Men and hence gave them an advantage. Suddenly the monitor exploded in fire and sent him flying backwards into the wall behind him. He let out a groan as he tried to stand up before collapsing backwards and falling unconscious

 

+XW+

Logan climbed back to his feet and charged again although slower than before. He didn’t let the pain he was in stop him from trying to help bring this damn beast down. Before he could get too close he staggered as he felt his brain explode in pain, suddenly he recalled what Alexander had said about the beast possibly having telepathic powers. He collapsed to the ground as he fought to stay conscious, as his vision began to fade he thought for a minute he heard the call of the Phoenix as flames began to fill his sight. Suddenly the pain vanished and his vision cleared. The pain from his earlier attempts at attacking the beast instantly vanished as well. He suddenly felt as if he had not even been in a fight at all. His healing ability may heal his wounds fast, but it did nothing for the pain he felt from those wounds, and this beast hit with the force of a dozen mack trucks on par with only one mutant and that was Apocalypse. 

Getting back to his feet he charged again and imbedded both his claws in the things chest making it roar with pain as it tried to escape its pylon prison. Rogue and Beast joined him and began to bail on him with all their strength, all but forgotten Alexander moaned as the power of the Phoenix washed over him and began to heal him just as it had Logan. Kurt too began to come around as he felt better than he’d had since been struck by the beast, seeing Alexander next to him rubbing his head he realized something must have revived them.

“Shit, what hit me?” Alexander groaned as the pain he had been feeling faded and he began to feel better. 

“It was your Scott Summers,” Kurt answered as he jumped to his feet before rushing off to help Logan and the others, pushing aside any fear he felt at facing the beast that had already put him down. 

Alexander climbed back to his feet and looked to see first the two Scott’s still fighting, both bloody but still agile in their movements. His first instinct was to charge in and help although he had trouble telling one from the other without using his powers. But then he took note that the beast that had taken his friends and family down had arrived and it was clear his new friends were having just as much trouble trying to put it down. 

Pushing his thoughts of revenge out of his mind he unleashed his claw and charged in to help bypassing the two Scott’s. He missed the look of shock and then revulsion that passed over the alternate Summer’s face as he took note of Alexander’s revival. 

Storm, Madelyne, Wanda Rachel and Magneto turned their attentions back to the guards who were getting up from Storm’s last strike against them while they tried to deal with the beast. Each unleashed their powers and the guards were bowled over with such force that some of them were blown out of the room they were in, but just as they turned back to the beast it finally broke through the pylon that had bound its hands and then lashed out at Logan and Beast sending both reeling backwards before then charging Alexander, ignoring Rogue all together and slamming into him head first just as Alexander reached them. 

 

Alexander suddenly found himself once again flying backwards, but this time he managed to turn himself into a roll and landed in a kneeling position, winded and in pain from the attack he jumped back into the fray even as Rogue descended in a timed attack with Logan and Kurt.

Scott stumbled slightly as he rolled out of the way of another full powered blast from his double, it was clear his double was trying to kill him and he had to finish this fight and soon so he could help in the fight against the beast. Coughing slightly he tried to figure out a good way to get through his double’s defense, insane as he seemed to be his abilities had not been impeded. 

“You should be helping me take that bastard and his spawn down, you should want him removed from your own world before he takes her from you,” his double ranted with some of the madness showing in his eyes. “That is what will happen, he will take her and bend her to his will and make her nothing but a slut just as he did in mine,” he raged. “She will be destroyed by his lust and no one will help stop it but us,” he added with conviction, showing he believed everything he said. “You cannot be blind to the evil that lurks in his soul, he is a monster and so are his spawn,” he finished. 

Before Scott could even begin to formulate a response a new voice answered for him, the voice was one he knew well but it was filled with hatred and contempt on a scale he had never before associated with Jean before. Even at the height of his recent fights with Jean he had never heard her voice sound so dark and filled with menace. 

“Do not call my children spawn and I am not now or ever have been yours,” Jean spat as she stood in front of the second team of X-Men and their doubles. Scott noted both Jean’s stood side by side, both glaring at his double and he noted how white his double had gone. 

+XW+

(Five minutes before)

Xavier watched as the phoenix fire continued to flow over the bodies of the unconscious X-Men, he wondered just what the two Jean’s were up too. The fire suddenly pulsed and then faded and to the surprise of much of the group the entire group awoke with gasps of surprise. The two Jean’s let go of each other’s hands and turned to watch as the formerly unconscious X-Men realized first that they were not in the mansion and two that they were surrounded by doubles of their own friends.   
“What the hell?” Logan groaned as he looked around and soon spotted the two Jean’s. “Wait the mansion was attacked by some sort of creature,” he muttered aloud.

“Yes, it was created by a man we know in our dimension as Sinister, but he was helped by Scott Summers or at least the Scott Summers you know in this dimension,” Xavier stated as he moved closer. 

“That rat bastard again,” the alternate Logan cursed as he jumped to his feet and flexed his claws. 

“Charles, I thank you for the timely rescue,” the alternate Magneto said as he too got up and moved to greet him. 

“No thank you is necessary as you would have done the same for us if our roles were reversed, although you should be aware Essex was attempting to alter your memories and make you his slaves,” Xavier responded with tight lipped expression showing his disgust at the man’s plan. 

The alternate Jean’s expression turned almost murderous as she processed this, she got to her feet as did the rest of her team mates. “This was all Scott’s idea, his way of finally getting me back and making me turn on Logan and my children,” she spat as she began to head to where she could sense her son and Logan fighting along with more of the second team of X-Men. “I will allow no more of his obsession with me and my family, this ends now,” she swore. 

“Jean no…,” the alternate Magneto shouted, but it was too late the alternate Jean stormed out of the room followed quickly by Jean and the alternate Logan. “This is not going to end well, Scott has pushed her further and further with each attempt to make her once again his lover, uncaring for her feelings or what it would do to her family,” he stated as he began to follow along with the rest of the group. “This may be the final straw and I am unsure if I could stop her from outright killing him and ending the threat he poses to her family,” he admitted. 

“We will not let it come to that my friend. Jean may be angry and full of rage right now, but that does not mean she will allow it to cloud her judgment,” Xavier replied as confidently as he could as he considered how his Jean would react to this situation if it was her in the alternate Jean’s place. 

 

“We should speed up Professor, we have no way of telling how the fight with that creature has gone,” Gambit suggested worried how Rogue and the others were faring. 

“Agreed,” both Xavier and the alternate Magneto replied at the same time.  
12\. Chapter 12

The alternate Scott Summers stared at his Jean before noting there was a double of her standing at her side, suddenly he realized this had to be the Jean from the alternate dimension, but then he noted a third trying to contain Essex’s beast and he wondered what the hell was going on. 

“Jean I am doing this to save you,” he shouted. 

“No, you are doing this to try and turn me into a slave to your will and to force me to conform to how you wish me to be,” Jean spat as the rest of her team and doubles rushed up behind them, before charging off to help try and subdue to the beast and the few remaining guards. “You want to turn me against my own children, make me hate them and hate my husband who I love with every fiber of my being,” she stated coldly as she stalked towards him with, Jean was following her unsure what to do. 

“You can’t love him Jean, he’s nothing but an animal incapable of love,” the alternate Scott shouted enraged at her words. 

Scott decided to leave this to Jean’s double and turned and rushed off to help in the fight against the beast, as he moved closer he could see Kurt and Kitty both attempt a rear attack only to be struck by an attack that seemed to come out of nowhere. Then he realized the thing had used its mutant speed ability to defend itself, it then turned and charged the two Logan’s who rolled out the way before jumping and charging it from behind. Again it used its speed mutation to catch them head on and knock them both to the ground, just as Storm tried to fry it with a lightning bolt. Even if it roared in pain it did nothing to slow the thing down. Making a choice he raised the dial of his visor to full, something he had only done once before and even then only in practice. 

“Everyone down,” he ordered, gaining the creatures attention and making it turn to face him. 

He raised his hand to his visor again and let out a slow calm breath before he unleashed a full blast of his power from his visor, the creature was blasted backwards through one wall behind it and straight onwards. Its roar of agony made them all shiver, shutting his power off he wondered if that was it. ‘Had a single full powered blast killed the damn thing?’ His question was answered when the creature stormed back through the hole, there was a smoking hole form his attack, but it was slowly healing. 

“Shit,” he cursed as the others all reacted and moved to attack again. 

Jean watched her double stare down her former lover unsure whether to leave her to it and help the others or stay just to make sure this did not end badly. She feared her double had been pushed beyond her control and that she may make a rash choice in how she decided to end the threat Scott Summers posed to her family once and for all.

“I will deal with you later,” the alternate Jean spat before suddenly the alternate Summers cried out in agony as she telepathically shut his mind down in one quick brutal and painful thrust. Summers collapsed in a heap, letting out one pitiful moan of pain before he went silent. “He’ll live for now,” she said to the worried Jean. “Bring our sister and children to us, we need to combine our powers to bring this creature down permanently, only together can we destroy it before it can heal itself,” she ordered with a brief glance cutting off whatever Jean was going to say. 

Jean nodded and reached out telepathically to Madelyne, Alexander and Rachel and ordered them to join her and her double. She winced as she noticed Logan been flung head first into some steel pipes before being flung away. The alternate Logan suffered a head-butt with such force it broke his nose and caused him to start bleeding before he was then picked up and thrown at Rogue sending them both tumbling to the floor with a heavy thud. 

The two Magneto’s tried to use their joint powers to secure the creature in a metal prison, but the creature vanished and then appeared behind them and smashed them both to the ground, but thankfully before it could crush them under its feet it was tackled by Gambit, Juggernaut, both Beasts and Betsy. Alexander and Rachel reached them first and while Alexander looked much better from been touched by the power of the Phoenix, Rachel looked somewhat tired and beaten from her fights with the guards who were now all down and out. Madelyne arrived with a pronounced limp, clearly having taken a bad blow from the beast. She also had a nasty cut on the side of her head. 

“I take it you have a plan?” Madelyne inquired as she glanced back to see Wanda, Pietro and Kurt all be battered away with force before the two Logan’s charged in again. 

“We must combine our powers and summon the full power of the Phoenix just as you did to heal Madelyne,” the alternate Jean replied. “Together we can destroy this beast before it can heal itself,” she added confidently. 

“How do you know about our combining to heal Madelyne?” Rachel asked. 

“An exchange of memory when my sister woke me up,” the alternate Jean responded calmly and a brief glance at Rachel who just nodded in understanding. 

“Considering how our powers were amped the last time we did that I would have to agree it could work,” Alexander agreed after thinking it over.

“I agree, and I suggest we do so now before that thing gets the better of our friends,” Jean said as she saw both Logans been flung into an already battered wall before the beast followed that up by stomping on their chests. 

They formed a small semi-circle and clasped hands, instantly they were each surrounded by the Phoenix fire until each seemed to vanish leaving only the firebird image of the Phoenix itself. 

It was Xavier who took note of what was happening and he instantly realized the danger, he sent out a physic call to retreat from the creature so they would not be caught in the backlash of what was about to happen. The creature moved to follow the retreating X-Men only to stop as it was engulfed in a blast of super-heated fire. 

The blast sent it flying through what remained of the front wall and boiled most of its skin of. Even as it got up and started to heal the Phoenix attacked, the creature howled as the firebird engulfed it and raised it high off the ground and began to burn hotter and hotter. Emma moaned aloud as she sensed the power output from the five full Phoenix hosts combined, she had thought it was bad enough with four, but this was even worse. Xavier felt the brunt of the power being unleashed by this unique being created by the efforts of its various hosts. 

“My god, we have to stop them,” Scott stammered as he backed away from the symbol of all he believed had caused his and Jean’s marriage downfall. 

To him Jean’s transformation into a host for Phoenix had been the beginning of her long descent from the woman who had loved him and him alone to the one that loved both him and Logan. Phoenix had changed Jean far more than the others had ever realized, before Phoenix she had a set pattern of how she lived her life and it had gelled with his own. After Phoenix however she had begun to change and in his mind, changed for the worse. 

“We can’t One-eye, this is the only thing that will destroy it of that I am certain,” Logan said as he came up on his left. “Hell even a full powered blast from your visor only put it down for a few seconds,” he added as he stared at the burning Phoenix in rapt attention. 

“My double is correct, combined their powers are unstoppable and can rip that thing to pieces,” the alternate Logan agreed from his right, making him jump slightly as he hadn’t known he was there. 

“That is what I am afraid of, that kind of power is too damn much for anyone to handle. It’s corruptive,” Scott argued. 

“Not to them, they are its chosen hosts,” the alternate Logan responded with a dismissive look at Scott’s concern. 

Scott wanted to argue that as he well recalled Jean’s corruption to the Dark Phoenix by the Hellfire Club some years ago very vividly, but he supposed in a sense Logan was correct, they had been chosen to be its host and thus must have ensured they could control the power gifted to them. The roaring of the creature rang out making them all shiver, they could only imagine just what was going on inside the almost supernova looking firestorm. Clearly they were all feeling the heat from the firebird. Some had started to sweat even after moving as far away as they could go. 

“Jesus, this is insane,” the alternate Lorna muttered as she watched the firebird continued to glow brighter. “How much power are we supposed to let them summon?” she asked. 

“However much it takes to destroy that beast, sister,” Wanda responded with an arched eyebrow as she gazed at her sister’s double wondering what kind of life she had lived opposed to the one she knew Lorna had lived here in her own dimension. 

“It has to have a limit,” Betsy stated as she rubbed her forehead as she too began to feel the backlash from the combined power of five Phoenix hosts. 

“They are Phoenix Betsy, they have no limit as for all intense and purpose their individual selves have melted away to form what is for all intent an Avatar of a god,” the alternate Magneto replied as he wiped his brow. 

The cry of the Phoenix suddenly rang out within the chamber making them all stare into the burning fire, a few seconds later the firebird seemed to explode outward making them all flinch and look away. When they turned back to look they were surprised to find the firebird remained although it had now dimmed, but it was the burnt out corpse of the creature below it that gained their attention. 

“Is it me or is that corpse melting?” Kitty inquired in slight revulsion. 

“I think you’re right other me,” the alternate Kitty replied, looking slightly green as she watched the chest cavity of the corpse collapse inward. 

“My word, I wonder just what the Phoenix did to it?” Hank mused aloud.

“Possibly destroyed the very atoms that made up its physical makeup, or burnt out the mutant healing ability it relied on to keep it alive,” his double replied while stroking his chin in thought. 

“I don’t care what they did as long as the damn thing is dead,” Logan grunted as he lit up a cigar and started to smoke as he relaxed slightly. 

His alternate self-began to sniff the air and a growl slipped out as he stalked out of the room. Most of the others wondered where the hell he was going before he returned a few minutes later carry an unconscious body over his shoulder which he all but threw on the ground near where the alternate Summers lay. 

“Seems Jeannie made sure this scumbag couldn’t get away,” alternate Logan spat as he stared down at the man who had not only created the creature that had put his friends and family down, but also almost turned him and them into mindless slaves.  
“Sinister or at least the man who in our universe is Sinister,” Scott muttered as he joined the alternate Logan and stared down at the double of the man who had caused so much havoc in his own universe. 

“So what do we do with them now?” Rogue asked finally after a short silence had descended over them. 

“You do nothing, it is not up to you to punish them but us,” a new voice stated making them all turn to find the firebird had transformed into a more human shape although one that had no recognizable features. “They are threats to our chosen hosts and their progeny, threats we cannot allow to continue to exist,” the voice added. 

“Now wait a damn minute Jean. I cannot allow you to murder either of them in cold blood no matter what they’ve done,” Scott quickly argued in outrage. 

“I have no intent to murder anyone Scott Summers and neither does Jean or any of her siblings or children, but steps must be taken to ensure that these men do not threaten to corrupt or kill our chosen hosts and their progeny ever again, for were they to succeed darkness would descend on the multiverse,” the voice argued back making Scott and some of the others frown.

“Who are you?” Magneto inquired. 

“I am Phoenix, the guardian of creation and of the M’Kraan crystal brought forth by the uniting of my chosen hosts,” Phoenix answered. 

“What about the two Jeans and Rachel or Alexander and Madelyne for that matter?” Xavier questioned as he moved closer. “What has become of them if you are a separate entity?” he asked. 

“You concern for my hosts is unneeded Charles Xavier. I would never harm my hosts and they are here as a part of my combined personality,” Phoenix answered. 

Scott frowned wanting to argue about harm been done to Jean while having been host to Phoenix, but he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, this being was not someone he wanted to piss off. He watched as the humanoid figure moved closer to where his double and Essex lay. He moved in front of them and stared as hard as he could at the glowing figure. 

“What do you intend to do to them to stop them being a threat if not outright murdering them?” he demanded to know.

“I don’t care as long as it keeps that dickhead away from my mother and stops him threatening my sister and father as well,” Alexander spat as he glared at the fallen figure of the man who had constantly harassed his family. 

Scott glared at him for his comment even as the kid’s sister spoke up. “I agree, I mean I don’t want to see him killed, but this obsession he has with mom has to stop before he either succeeds in somehow making her turn on us and going back to him, possibly through some kind of brainwashing or mom and dad finally have enough and kill him,” Lara said with a slight shiver at the thought. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Scott couldn’t help to snap back. 

“Back off Summers or get squashed,” Juggernaut warned him with a raised first. “This isn’t your dimension and no one asked for your opinion, you have no clue what your double has done throughout the years to try and enslave Jean to his will,” he spat with a glare. “To make her be what he wished her to be, not how she is in reality,” he added. 

“The question however remains Phoenix, how will you stop them from becoming a threat again?” Emma demanded to know while moving to stand next to Scott. 

“Like this,” Phoenix answered and before anyone could react two fiery strands shot out and connected to the two men’s heads, both screamed in pain for a few seconds before going still and unresponsive again. 

Scott tried to get in the way, but was catapulted backwards as soon as he made contact with Phoenix. Emma tried to use her powers to interfere in whatever it was Phoenix was doing, but instantly screamed and grabbed her head as she felt a tremendous backlash and collapsed. 

“Everyone stop, we cannot interfere no matter that we may want to, none of us can stand up to Phoenix’s power,” Xavier commanded as loud as he could. 

“Wise counsel Charles Xavier,” Phoenix pointed out. “I am not harming them, only eliminating those memories that have caused their obsession, for the one called Essex it his desire to create the perfect human and his obsession for messing with DNA,” it explained. “While for Scott Summers it is his entire memory of Jean Grey, sadly I cannot leave any trace of her in his mind for to do so would risk him recovering his obsession with her,” it added. 

“You have no right to do that,” Scott shouted as he stood back up from where he had fallen. While he was disgusted by what his double had become and done in his desire to have Jean back. He didn’t believe it was right for his mind to be messed with, his memories taken by force even by an ancient being such as Phoenix. 

“To protect my host and her young from your double’s growing and darkening obsession I am afraid this is the only way. He will not stop otherwise unless he is either killed or he eventually decides to kill her as the only way to save her,” Phoenix shot back in a tone of voice that showed it cared little for Scott’s view on the matter. 

“But,” Scott started to say before Logan cut him off. 

“Try and remember One eye that your double allied with Essex so he could reprogram Jean’s mind and make her forget she even had children and had never fallen in love with my double,” Logan reminded him with a slight glare which was doubled by the one on his doubles face. “He wanted to take everything that made her life worth living just so he could have her by his side again, not even caring about the agony it would cause her or her family,” he added darkly. 

“And that almost led to us all been reprogrammed to serves Essex and god alone knows what he would have made us do in his service,” Lorna spat with her own glare directed at the unconscious Scott Summers and Essex. 

Scott backed off unable to think of anything to say to either Logan or the double of Magneto’s younger daughter. His double had crossed so many lines it seemed there was nothing he would not do to reclaim Jean. Even if it meant stripping her mind of her memories of her family through force, and all but making her a slave as her mind was reprogrammed only to serve him. 

Emma sensed the sudden surrender of Scott to what was happening and that he knew it was pointless to try and argue for another way, she also sensed his utter disgust in what his double had allowed himself to become and a slight fear he may suffer the same fate if history repeated itself in their dimension. She didn’t believe for an instant he would fall to such a fate, not that she would allow it, and she doubted the other X-Men would either. But she knew history was repeating itself anyway, she had even done what she could to aide it in getting between Scott and Jean. Now she was uncertain what to do when they returned home, keep pressing until the marriage broke and she could finally claim Scott or back off and wait and see what happens. 

“It is done,” Phoenix told them as it withdrew the tendrils of fire and backed off only for Essex, Summers and the guards to vanish in flashes of fire.

“Where did you send them?” Juggernaut asked in surprise. 

“Elsewhere, they will wake up with no memories of what happened here not even the guards,” Phoenix answered. “They will no longer pose a threat to any of you, the danger is removed,” it added. 

The figure of the Phoenix suddenly broke back into a bright fire causing them all to look away, they heard the cry of the Phoenix ring out once more and the whole cavern began to shake. 

“Holy shit Phoenix is going to bring the whole cavern down on our heads if we don’t leave now,” Kurt cursed as the base shook and rocks and walls began to fall. 

“OUT NOW,” Xavier ordered even as Kurt grabbed him and ported out with him. 

The others turned and ran for the exit tunnel, not one of them turned back as the light of the Phoenix got brighter and brighter and the cavern and the base within it shook even more. It took them only a few minutes to exit the crumbling cavern, exiting through the rent doors and back into the forest clearing. Kurt quickly took note that the guards they had subdued to get in were also gone and only the rope they had used to bind them still present. 

“Phoenix is destroying the whole base by bringing the cavern down on it,” Magneto mused aloud. “So as to keep anyone from discovering it and whatever secrets still lay on the computers within,” he continued. 

“Could have at least warned us first,” Gambit muttered as Rogue leaned against him to catch her breath. The others all mostly agreed with nods, they all watched as the cavern finally gave way and collapsed, forever sealing the entrance under a ton of rock. 

“What about Phoenix?” Rahne inquired as she turned to glance at the Professor.   
As if to answer her question the firebird appeared before them burning brightly, before anyone could say anything the firebird pulsed before it vanished in an explosion of light. When they looked back they noted the firebird was gone leaving behind the swaying forms of the two Jean’s, Madelyne, Rachel and Alexander. All five collapsed in a heap clearly tired and drained as they had been when they combined to heal Madelyne. Logan and some of the others rushed forward to check on them. 

Kurt popped away back to the Blackbird and returned a few moments later with some canteens of water which he quickly handed out, it took a few minutes but slowly each of them came round. 

“You okay?” Logan asked gently as he and Scott helped Jean up while the alternate Logan pulled his Jean into a quick gentle kiss. 

“Tired but okay,” Jean responded with a soft smile at his concern, missing the rather dark look that crossed over Scott’s features before he quickly shook it off. 

“Combining like that takes everything out of us,” Rachel moaned as she was helped up by Hank. “It is exhilarating but extremely taxing,” she told them. 

“But it worked,” Alexander stated as he accepted a lift up from Juggernaut which almost caused him to fall over again. “We killed the beast, destroyed it down to its very atoms so it couldn’t heal,” he explained with a grin. 

“Not something I would want to do a lot,” Madelyne cut in as she was helped up by Storm and Rogue. She rubbed her head as if she had a headache. “The power we summoned was unlike anything I have felt before, all consuming,” she added. 

“Yes for us were we ever to try and harness it as ourselves, but not when combined, because it is not truly us for we all become a part of Phoenix’s greater consciousness,” the alternate Jean stated. 

“We need to get back to the mansion, we need rest and possibly a quick check up in medical to see if there were any changes from our second combining,” Jean told them as she leaned against Logan without even thinking about it and almost causing him to jump as she did so. 

Scott frowned even more as he took note of her action, clearly he could tell it was done by instinct as if she found more comfort in Logan than she did with him and that realization hurt. It was clear that if things didn’t change or if he and Jean didn’t make a cohesive effort to fix their marriage, then he could see that the end of their marriage would be measured in days and not years. Then he could not help but think about how Jean felt about what Phoenix had done to his double, something he still felt was very wrong and he had a profound feeling her feelings on this matter would play its part in what happened between them. 

“Kurt, please port them all to the Blackbird,” Xavier ordered as he nodded in agreement with Jean. “We will join you quickly. I think some rest and some food would not be amiss either, I doubt any of them will be up to getting us home for a day or two,” he speculated as Kurt nodded and quickly ported out with Rachel. 

“You are welcome to stay at the mansion Charles, even with the damage done to it I am sure there will be enough space,” the alternate Magneto offered with a kind smile that shocked many of the X-Men not native to this dimension as they were not used to a nice Magneto. 

“Thank you Eric, it will be much appreciated,” Xavier responded as they all turned and began to head back to the Blackbird even as Kurt ported out with Jean who was the last of the wary Phoenix hosts. 

“Come now what kind of host would I be if I did not offer lodgings after you crossed dimensions to save us?” the alternate Magneto responded with a chuckle, catching even his double off guard as he had not seen himself in such good spirits in some time and he noted even his children bar the alternate of his youngest daughter seemed surprised as well. 

They made it back to the Blackbird within five minutes and quickly boarded and although it was a tight fit, they all managed to find a seat somewhere. Storm and Betsy took the controls and quickly raised the jet into the air. 

Jean closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Logan’s shoulder and quickly fell asleep, as did Rachel on Alexander’s who was talking softly with the alternate Kitty. The others either settled in for a quick nap or talked softly among themselves. 

Scott did his best to keep himself from glaring at Jean and Logan and instead talked with Emma ignoring anything else.


	2. chapter 3

Author Notes: Finally ended this story and hope to finish the sage with a third, sadly I no longer have the help of Hawklan who has had to retire from betaing due to real life, and my own time for writing has been cut short due to life as well. But I will try and keep updating those stories I still have an interest in. Thank you to all those people who still follow my works, sorry for the long delay. 

+XW+

(X-Mansion)

Logan sat crossed legged on the upper balcony of the mansion and looked out into the night sky, it was a clear night with quite a breath-taking view of the stars and a full moon. It was the perfect view for meditating and thinking, lighting up a cigar he puffed away as he considered all that had happened in the last day or so. Alexander’s return and request for aid had once again shook things up for them all, not that he blamed his son as he understood he did what he had too to save his friends and family. But again he sensed a building tension between him, Scott and Jean and this time he could feel it would finally come to a head. Scott had not exactly been happy by how Jean had fallen asleep against him in the jet on the way back; the glare he had caught from the man had shown him that. He didn’t know what would happen, but he highly doubted it would be anything good for the team or for him. He loved Jean and he always would but he doubted seriously that she would ever fully choose him over Scott; history had proven that when it came down to a choice she had always chosen Scott. He did not begrudge her that, it was her choice and her feelings she had to act on but the more he saw of his double’s relationship with his own Jean made him desire her to finally choose him just once. 

+XW+

Jean lay on the medical table as Hank and his double worked on her, her double, Madelyne, Rachel and Alexander. They had already taken some blood and done some x-rays as a precaution, now they were using some of their equipment to measure their power levels, Xavier and the two Magneto’s stood of to the side awaiting the outcome alongside the alternate Logan and Lara.

“Well Hank, any change?” Xavier inquired as Hank finished up his last scan on Jean.

“As before Charles they are all showing signs of their powers been enhanced, although I have no basis for the Jean of this reality to compare it to” Hank started to reply before stopping as he was handed a pad by his double and he quickly scanned it, the others waited quietly as he did so. “It seems the native Jean has also had her power enhanced since her last scan and like the others it is doubled to what it was, they all now match one another Charles” he informed them. 

“I wonder to what end?” Magneto mused aloud. 

“I cannot even fathom a guess right now, however I think it is clear that their enhancements in power and maybe abilities are not an accident” Hank stated thoughtfully. 

“Anything else we should know?” Xavier inquired. 

“There now seems to be a physic link between each of them, it is not currently active or at least that is how it seems, I cannot say how it was formed but clearly it is a result of their recent merging” Hank’s double answered calmly as he looked at another pad of results. “It is unlike any I have seen before” he muttered. 

“It is there so we can help one another should we need it” Rachel spoke up before anyone else could. “It is there to help protect us should we come under attack by whatever it was that attacked and corrupted Madelyne” she explained. 

The others all looked between themselves at this explanation, Jean had not expected anything else as it was bound to cause some concern. She also noted Scott was absent from the room not that she had expected anything else since she had basically slept the trip back here using Logan as a pillow, somehow she doubted that had helped ease Scott’s anger and resentment. 

“So you think it might come back?” Lara inquired in concern and glanced up at her father who cracked his knuckles in response to the very idea. 

“Phoenix will not take the chance with any of its hosts been corrupted again, the first time was an error that was not meant to happen” Alexander stated with a frown. “The events leading up to what happened to Madelyne were not planned for, the Phoenix was caught off guard by her downfall made all the more possible due to her not having full access to her powers due to been a clone and how she was created” he went on. “Whatever it was that did corrupt her had to be powerful, it also had to have some kind of insight into Phoenix itself to be able to corrupt a host” he added. 

“But none of you or Phoenix knows who it was?” the alternate Magneto asked.

“No, none of us do and that concerns us all” Madelyne answered with a shake of her head. “All we know is it could strike again, and thus the link is there as a safety feature to help us protect each other” she explained before she let out a large yawn. “I’m sorry, I am so tired” she said as she rubbed her eyes. 

“I think we should call it a night for now, I will show you to your rooms and from there you can get some food and something to drink before you turn in” the alternate Magneto said with a smile as he turned and began to lead them out. 

“You know I could not help but notice Dad’s absence, I would have thought he’d want to hear you were okay” Rachel whispered as they followed behind the others. 

“Things are strained between us Rachel and you know that, I think the latest adventure has not done us any favours in that regard” Jean admitted with a sigh. “I fell asleep on the way back using Logan as a pillow without even trying, when I was helped up after we separated from been Phoenix I used Logan to lean on and not Scott as if it was the most natural thing in the world and I know Scott took notice of these facts” she added as they travelled up in the elevator to the mansion’s upper levels. “So I am not surprised he is absent, more than likely another argument is on the horizon” she said before trailing off as she caught the tail end of Logan’s thoughts even though she was not actively trying to read him.

The raw feelings she felt stopped her cold and made her wish she could just give Logan what he wanted, but it was not that simple and they both knew it. Still the pain Logan felt from the constant back and forth was beginning to show, whatever happened with Scott she knew it could possibly end up bringing her relationship with Logan to an end if she choose to stay with Scott again. But was there anything worth staying with Scott for, anything they could possibly salvage from their broken marriage. Moving forward again she wondered just what she would end up doing in the end, would her choice cause even more chaos within the X-Men she hoped not. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Rachel inquired with sorrow as they headed up in the elevator.  
“Nothing Rachel, this is on me and Scott to work out” Jean responded placing what she hoped was a comforting arm around her daughter. 

“You’re forgetting Logan and Emma Mom, they aren’t blameless in this whole mess” Rachel could not help but say as the alternate Magneto began to show them their rooms. 

“Logan has not pushed me into breaking my vows in a very long time Rachel and I will thank you to remember that” Jean could not help but defend Logan. “Once I married Scott he backed off in his pursuit, granted that did not stop us from having feelings for one another. Feelings that have grown over the years, but he has not pushed my marriage to its breaking point” she admitted. 

“You can’t say the same for the blond bitch” Rachel spat back finally unleashing her anger at her parents failing marriage on a target she knew her mother would not defend.  
Jean frowned wondering just when Emma had begun her attempts to woe her husband, and how it had gone on without her noticing for damn long before Madelyne revealed it to her. Perhaps she had always intended to win Scott; perhaps she had joined the X-Men sorely for that reason. 

“No more than likely I cannot , Emma has always had her own goals even when she was a member of the Hellfire Club and more than likely when she joined the X-Men but I cannot say for sure Scott was always her agenda but if it was she managed to keep it well hidden or I was too distracted to notice” Jean finally said in response a dark frown as they came to a stop outside another door. 

“This is where I placed Scott but there is room for two” the alternate Magneto told them. 

“No, not tonight please I am not ready to deal with Scott just yet” Jean responded with a quick shake of her head. “We have a lot to say to each other, to work through but it has been a long day and I cannot do it now” she added. 

“Of course I understand, please follow me” the alternate Magneto replied with an understanding smile which simple seemed strange to Jean who knew their own Magneto had never smiled like that in his life. No perhaps that is not entirely true, he might have smiled like that before his wife’s murder she briefly considered as he opened another room and she stepped inside. 

“Thank you” Jean said as he nodded and left her and Rachel who had followed even after her own room had been pointed out. “Do me a favour Rachel, you will find Logan on the balcony meditating and brooding” she said with a sigh. “Please tell him to get something to eat and then go to bed, he is shattered and staying up late will not do him any favours” she requested tiredly as she lay back on the bed. 

“Sure mom, have a good night” Rachel relented after a brief internal debate as she had wanted to continue their discussion but she could tell that her mother was just as tired as Logan was and the majority of the others as well. 

The fact her mother knew where the feral mutant was and what his state was almost without trying was startling; it had come to her almost effortlessly. She found Logan exactly where her mom had said he would be, she watched the feral mutant for a few seconds knowing he already knew she was there even if he had not shown any indication of becoming aware her was been watched. 

“Something you want little red” Logan finally growled out as he opened his eyes and pinned her with his gaze. 

“Mom asked me to tell you to get something to eat and then go to bed and with the tone she used I take it she was not asking politely but giving you an order old man” Rachel shot back with an impotent grin. 

Logan grunted before letting out a brief chuckle as he got to his feet and stretched before he headed indoors, he paused as he looked down at her. “Your mom okay?” he inquired. 

“Yeah just tired like most of us after what we’ve just been through” Rachel answered as she walked off intent on getting herself a snack before she headed for bed herself and she knew Logan was just behind her. “I think she’s gone straight to bed in her own room, she’s not ready to deal with dad yet” she admitted with a helpless shrug. 

“They’ll work it out kid, that’s what couples do” Logan reassured her but Rachel could detect the suitable hitch in his voice as he spoke, although he was trying to be reassuring she knew deep down he hoped they did not work things out as he wanted her mother to be his finally. She didn’t begrudge him his feelings and she knew better than to say anything, this was between her mom and dad and somewhat involved Logan and Emma no matter what her mom had said. 

“Yeah I hope they do” she finally responded as they reached the kitchen to find Kurt and Wanda already there eating some sandwiches and talking quietly, they were not alone also within was both Beasts and both Kitty’s. 

“Everyone else gone to bed?” Rachel inquired as she hit the fridge to try and find something to eat. 

“Seems like it” Kurt answered before finishing off another sandwich. 

“No surprise, it’s been a long day” Logan grunted as he raided the fridge for a beer and was relieved to find a six pack within which clearly belonged to his double, grabbing two he also grabbed some bits with which to make a sandwich. 

“Crossing dimensions and battling a super powered creature will indeed tire most people out, especially when it was only thanks to Phoenix’s help we won” Kitty muttered darkly in response as she finished her own sandwich. 

She was not feeling so great seeing how close Kurt and Wanda were sitting or how well they were getting along, it hurt and she knew her double had noticed her sudden darkening mood. But this was her fault for hesitating so damn long in admitting her feelings for the furry mutant, now she had to contend with his feelings for the red clad daughter of Magneto. 

“At least we are alive to be so damn tired” Rachel shot back as she finished as she down and watched Logan quickly set about making them something to eat.

“Indeed so my young friends, that is after all the important thing and now I bid you goodnight” the alternate Beast said with a smile before he departed.

“I too will turn in, I believe tomorrow will be another long day as we will be needed to help repair some of the damage to the mansion” the other Beast said before he left also after washing his plate. 

“I hope he is kidding, tomorrow I plan to lie in and rest” the alternate Kitty complained with a sigh. 

“I doubt you are the only one halfpint” Logan stated as he made a sandwich for himself and Rachel as well as grabbing a beer for himself as he doubted his double would mind. “I intend a nice long lie in myself” he revealed. 

“Only if you are allowed one old man” Rachel shot back with a grin as she took her sandwich and left the kitchen before Logan could reply. 

“Does she always call you that Logan?” the alternate Kitty inquired in surprise. 

“She does, and she is the only one halfpint” Logan warned with a soft growl. “She knew me in her future, and according to her I was an old man by that point even with my healing factor slowing it down hence she likes to call me old man to tease me” he explained as he finished off his sandwich and took a deep swig from his beer before he got up and headed for the exit and to his room. 

“Our lives just can’t have anything normal in it can they?” Kitty said with a smirk as she eyed her counterpart. “Time travel, alternate dimensions, clones” she began to list. 

“Can it halfpint and go to bed all of you” Logan’s voice drifted back through the door and all four remaining teens just chuckled and began to clear up and head for their own beds. 

+XW+

The next morning seemed to come faster than normal for most of the mansions inhabitants especially Jean who groaned as she woke up sluggishly, the stress of the fight the night before still with her as was the growing problems she had to face in her personal relationships. Finally giving up trying to stay in bed she got up and headed for a quick shower and before getting dressed for the day ahead, when she got to the kitchen she found most of the others already up including her double and Madelyne. The only ones missing was Logan who she felt was still deeply asleep, again the ease of how she located him and state compared to before confused her. Also missing was Kurt and Wanda and she quickly picked up how uneasy Kitty was with that fact, sadly she could empathise with the girl considering her own problems. Sitting down across from Scott she noted the rather annoyed look he shot her even though Emma was right beside him acting as if nothing was wrong, shaking her head she ate quietly the small meal Hank put in front of her. 

“So can we aide you in repairing the mansion before we transfer back to our dimension Eric?” Charles inquired. 

“Any help would be welcome Charles, and I suspect Jean and the others have not yet fully recovered to transfer you all back” the alternate Magneto responded. “We’ll start once Hank and Logan have got us a check list of what needs repairing” he added. 

Jean heard some grumbles from her friends but they quickly settled again more than likely having expected something like this, finishing her breakfast she got up and headed outside fully aware Scott was following her. Letting out a sigh she knew that whatever happened next would decide the fate of her marriage, she just hoped if it did come crashing down that the parting would not be too painful for either of them. She pressed onto towards one of the most secluded spots in the mansion grounds near a small lake passing Kurt and Wanda who was sitting together near the big oak talking quietly; she smiled at the odd pair as she passed. Once she reached the lake she sat down and awaited Scott to catch up with her, he arrived a few seconds later and paced a little before letting out his own sigh and sitting down a few feet from her. 

“We need to talk Jean, we can’t let things between us get any worse than they already are” Scott began feeling very uneasy about this conversation. “I think we both know things can’t go on as they have been, if we are to have any chance of keeping our marriage intact the distractions in our lives have to disappear” he stated. 

“Distractions, is that what you are going to call Logan and Emma Scott, really?” Jean asked with some contempt. “They are a part of our daily lives and in Logan’s case the X-Men are the closest thing he has to family, I will not ask him to leave the mansion again just to make you feel better and as much I hate to say it I won’t ask Emma to leave either, no what we need to face is the fact we both have feelings for people other than ourselves and no matter what we have tried those feelings are not going away” she stated. “I have been in this situation since I met Logan, no matter than we were together and no matter that I chose to marry you those feelings I feel for him continue to exist and grow stronger and something tells me yours for Emma will not vanish anytime soon either and more than likely like with me will grow and that should tell us both something” she continued. “Something I think we’ve both been ignoring for a long time, our relationship may have started off strong but it isn’t stable anymore, and before you try and blame Logan again try and remember he has backed off pushing me for something since our wedding” she finished.  
Scott looked away as she finished speaking not really knowing what to say at first, his first and usual instinct was to blame Logan but as much as he hated to admit it Jean was right the feral mutant had backed of his upfront pursuit of Jean, but he had always held the belief he had tried a more suitable approach to gaining Jean’s affections. But now it wasn’t just about Jean and Logan and whatever was between them, he and Emma and whatever was between them also. It made things all the more complicated and he hated that fact, rubbing his jaw he tried to think of what to say or better yet how to state his feelings on the matter at hand.

“Maybe he backed off Jean but that didn’t stop him from silently pursuing you, I know he watches you with desire and longing nearly every day and I know you sometimes respond to him just like you did just last night when you basically used him as your support” Scott finally stated. “Over the years your feelings for him have grown, I’ve tried to ignore that fact and put all my hatred and anger at our failing marriage on him, but as much as I hate to say it you are also responsible for it because you have always responded to him even if you’ve tried not to” he added with a pained sigh. “And now I know how hard it must have been to stay loyal to something you once thought secure when something new gains your interest, becomes imbedded into your heart” he admitted. “You’re right more than likely what I feel for Emma won’t just disappear if I am honest, but that does not mean I am ready to throw what we have away Jean we need to fight for our marriage” he insisted.

“But Scott is that because you actually still love me enough to try and save our marriage or because you inwardly want to do whatever you can to stop Logan from finally getting me, and I want you to actually think real hard about your answer Scott and don’t forget I can tell when you’re lying” Jean prompted him.  
Scott cut off the protest he had been about to say as she finished speaking and stared at her, he suddenly realised she had clearly detected something inside him that was not in line with his own thought process on the matter. It took a few minutes before he realised there was a deep resentment for Logan and the idea of denying the one thing he wanted most appealed to him, shaking his head he wondered what that said about him and he tried not to think of how holding onto Jean when she had chosen Logan had twisted his double. Was that his fate if he kept trying to hold onto Jean, would he fall down the same dark hole that had consumed his double? He wondered. So he had to really ask himself was there anything truly left to fight for, was that what Jean was trying to point out. Her feelings for Logan had not vanished but only grown stronger by her own admission, and he couldn’t fool himself that his own for Emma would just fade but actually grow more intense as time passed. So the question became did his and Jean’s feelings remain strong enough to warrant staying together? He just didn’t know. 

“The breach we feel from one another is not going to go away Scott and our feelings for each other if any are truly left no longer outweigh what we feel for Logan and Emma respectively” Jean told him unsurprised by how little this fact hurt her. 

At first she had been enraged to know Scott had developed feelings for Emma, angered that he would do what he had called her out on many times over the years but now it only helped make things easier for her to make a choice. It was clear by her actions and emotions that her feelings for Logan were beginning to get beyond what she could control or hold back, she had to make a choice and this time it really would be the end for either whatever it was she had left with Scott or with whatever could be with Logan. Closing her eyes she briefly touched Logan’s mind and she instantly saw an image of her and Logan cuddled up under a tree in a beautiful outdoor setting, it was a peaceful image and it showed more than ever that Logan’s feelings were true. Opening her eyes she shook the image from her head and focused back on Scott who still looked pensive and unsure, the choice was made she decided. She was not willing to hurt Logan any more than she had done with her actions over the years, and it was time she admitted her feelings for him were far deeper than what she still felt for Scott which sometimes didn’t even feel like love anymore just deep friendship and affection. She didn’t believe there was a way to save their marriage, not anymore not with this new twist because she knew Scott’s feelings for Emma would not fade just as hers for Logan had not. 

“I’m sorry Scott but I think it’s time we admit we need to separate, begin planning for divorce because this is not going to go away not for me and not for you either believe I know” Jean finally told him and tried not to wince at the look of part anger and part resigned hurt on his face. “It’s just beginning for you and not matter how much you fight it, your feelings for Emma will deepen and grow more intense and before you know it you will realise what I did that you love someone other than the person you pledged to honour and cherish to our last days” she continued onwards. “We made our vows believing nothing would change between us but things have changed, I thought once I made the choice to marry you my feelings for Logan would go away but they didn’t and now I know they will never go away just intensify” she admitted honestly. 

“I want to argue with you Jean but I can’t because I know you’re right, I’ve seen what holding onto something that should end could do to me and I don’t want to become that kind of man” Scott finally replied after a short silence. “If this is what you truly want they when we get back home we will start proceedings for divorce, and then we will both be free to see where these feelings for Emma and Logan will take us and I pray you get the relationship you seem to believe you can have with him” he added even though it pained him to say it. “You’re right I’ve never tried to truly understand Logan or why he is the way he is, never tried to really put myself into the situations he has found himself in and it has coloured my perception of him but I will try and do better for you and for the group as a whole” he went on making Jean smile. 

“Thank you Scott, let’s try and make this as painless for us both as we can” Jean stated clasping his hand briefly. “And remember we were friends before we ever became lovers and our friendship will survive this change, we will also have to sit down and discuss this with Rachel once we’re home” she told him to which he nodded. “I will say this I won’t be rushing into anything once we start this process, I will need time and so will you before we start exploring our new paths” she admitted before getting up giving him one last smile and then turned and left him to his thoughts. 

Scott watched his wife walk away and knew it was in more ways than one, it was not official as soon as they were home their marriage would be brought to an end after been together for so long. He hoped Rachel wouldn’t take the news too badly as they still did not know whether her timeline was linked to their own, thus it was always possible in another time or dimension there was one where he and Jean stayed together and did have kids. Leaning back he stared off into the horizon and wondered what would happen in the future once they had sorted everything out; he hoped both he and Jean would find new happiness in their new paths. 

Not far from where he sat Kurt and Wanda had remained under the big oak talking quietly but bother fully aware of the other’s proximity, since they had met up after coming back from the mission to capture Madelyne there had a force pulling them towards each other which even overrode his feelings for Kitty which before seeing Wanda again he would have called love but were clearly not that strong if he could have feelings for another woman at the same time. Question was what he was going to do, who he pursued Kitty or Wanda who he was having a hard time keeping away from or even keeping his eyes of her wonderful form. The skin tight red outfit she wore showed off a hell of a lot of skin giving his admittedly overactive imagination a hell of a lot of things to think about, he had tried to block these types of thoughts out but they persisted and he admitted they were far more frequent and detailed than his dreams of Kitty. Wanda glanced at Kurt who was now staring off into space lost in thought; she smiled finding the expression on his face endearing. She knew her attraction was real, because every time they crossed paths she felt the same emotions only more intense than the time before. Yes it was true they were supposedly on opposite sides but she knew her Father still valued his friendship with Xavier and vice versa, it was always methods they disagreed on. Father had been burned far too much by the hubris of man to trust them, he had seen the utter cruelty they were capable of and it was that cruelty that had claimed her and Pietro’s Mother Magda.  
Deciding not to let the dividing line get between her and her feelings she leaned forward gaining Kurt’s attention and kissed him slowly but with as much passion as she could muster. To her enjoyment Kurt instantly responded cupping her chin and meeting her passion with his own, this made her moan slightly as they continued to make out for the next minute of two unaware that Kitty was watching them from within the tree. Kitty had not meant to spy on them but she had noted their presence and decided to get a little closer, her stomach had bottomed out when she saw Wanda lean forward and kiss Kurt and felt herself flinch when her friend returned the kiss. Shaking her head she phased out and floated to the ground and left them knowing any chance of been with Kurt had just ended, he had made his choice and her hesitation at revealing her own feelings had helped him do it. Rachel had been right she had been foolish and now she would have to watch Kurt and Wanda be together just like Logan had been forced to watch Jean and Scott, she just hoped she had his ability to stomach it and yet remain friends. Kurt and Wanda finally pulled away at the same time but found themselves staring into each other’s eyes, both smiled before leaning away. 

“That was nice” Kurt murmured trying not to smile too much. 

“I like you Kurt and I’ve liked you since we met, you’re funny and unlike some of your friends you do not hold the fact I am Magneto’s daughter against me” Wanda admitted deciding to go for broke before they headed home. “Every time we meet my feelings get deeper and I know you feel something for me as well, don’t you?” she inquired hoping she was right about this. 

“Yes I do I can’t deny it” Kurt replied clasping her hand and liking the fact she did not pull away like his ex-girlfriend had done so many times before. “But I have to also admit before we saw each other again in the hanger I thought I was in love with Kitty, but clearly that can’t be the case as if I had loved her I would not have feelings for you as well” he admitted hoping he wasn’t ruining his chances here. “But Kitty has never shown any interest in me in that regard even though she knew I had feelings for her, I need to move on and let that go and I think we’ve both seen what not letting go of something can do to someone” he continued to which Wanda nodded having been aware of the fact there was something between Kurt and Kitty Pryde but she had not believed there was a relationship between them which he had just confirmed. “I wouldn’t mind taking you on a date or two to see if maybe we can build something between us if you are okay with that idea” he offered taking his chance before he lost his nerve. 

Wanda smiled and just leaned in and kissed him again, she would take the offer and hope they could indeed build something between them even with them been on opposite teams. If it was one thing she had learned in this life so far was anything was possible if you fought hard enough for it, and she would fight for this as she believed Kurt would and they would make it work. She did not worry about whatever feelings he had for Kitty Pryde, he had made his choice of where to focus his heart and she was confident he would not stray and she felt no threat from Pryde. Once the kiss ended she let her head fall onto his shoulder and then sighed as he wrapped his arm around her, this was the beginning for them and she hoped it was be a lasting partnership. They were both unaware they were been watched from the balcony window by Xavier and Magneto, the alternate Magneto was also watching with a small smile playing across his face. 

“I did not see that coming” Xavier stated with his own smile. 

“I noticed the attraction between them since they met in the hangar and I was aware they might share some kind of emotion even before that so this is not a surprise to me” Magneto commented.

“Nor is it a surprise to me, in this dimension Kurt and Wanda are engaged and part of the hero team Excalibur” the alternate Magneto informed them gaining both of their attentions. “They visit often, I am waiting for the day they tell me they have finally set a date for their wedding” he admitted. 

This piece of information surprised both but did not cause either any real alarm, what the two young adults did with their personal lives were their own choice. Magneto did not oppose the match if this was what his daughter truly wanted and it seemed very much she did considering the look of happiness on her face, but their relationship was not going to be easy as both she and Kurt were on opposing teams. Yes his Brotherhood and the X-Men had allied together for this mission and in this past but usually they fought one another, his ideals and Charles’s ideals were always different approaches to the same problem and they would never agree on which path was correct for their species to survive. But he considered they could always try and find a third path, one where both their approaches to the fight for survival and acceptance could be found equally. For his daughter’s happiness could he not for once try a different path? He asked himself. Making a decision to think on this when they got home he turned and entered the office to discuss how to aide in rebuilding and repairing the mansion before they left, Xavier smiled as the two young adults found comfort and love with one another as it reminded him of days when he too had been young and in love. Turning he joined his friend and his double and set about planning to aide in the reconstruction of the manor; thankfully the damage was most internal and would take little time to patch. Once they had a solid plan they called a meeting of the two teams and quickly set about explaining how the work would be completed, by this point everyone was awake and listening. 

The rest of the day was spent fixing the damage done to the manor, both teams worked in conjunction with little problems between either. Logan spent some of the time getting to know his daughter in this reality who he found to be a perfect blend of Jean’s calm rational mind and his wild emotions, but she controlled herself far better than Alexander did. He envied his double who happily chattered to his children and Jean and he noted the kisses they shared when they passed one another were deep and loving, there was nothing forced or rushed about it and it hurt to see a glimpse of what his life could have been like. He missed the look Jean sent him as she sensed his thoughts, but until she had sorted out how things would go with Scott once they returned home it was best she did not focus too much on Logan’s thoughts and pain. But she swore once she had dealt with things with Scott then she would focus on Logan, then hopefully they could find happiness with one another. By mid-afternoon the work was complete and they settled down for a hot meal and talked, Xavier chose this moment to try and talk to his brother’s alternate as he was very curious about how he came to be a member of the X-Men. Thankfully it seemed that Cain Marko in this universe was a bit more laid back than his counterpart, still he wondered what had made the difference. 

“Strange to see you after you been dead for so many years” Cain stated even as he stopped close to him. “Oh we’re encountered alternates before but one we’ve interacted with so closely” he added with a chuckle. 

“I am sure it is Cain however I must admit I am curious why you are a part of this team, granted I know every dimension is different but my own relationship with the Caine of my dimension is a very bitter one starting in our early childhood and it only got worse once he found the gem of Cyttorak and yet here I find you a part of a group my counterpart inspired before his untimely death” Xavier inquired. “It is confusing to me” he admitted. 

Cain chuckled which just added to Xavier’s confusion because his personality was so far vastly different from the Cain he knew. “My relationship with my brother was a little easier than I suspect it was in yours, we weren’t exactly best friends but we could get on with each other and when he helped me gain control when I found the Gem of Cyttorak as its powers almost consumed me” he explained once he stopped chuckling. “His death hit me hard and when Eric decided to fulfil my brother’s dream of I joined his original group of X-Men, and I have stayed here ever since” he added. 

“Amazing” Xavier murmured. “I wonder what made the difference?” he mused aloud. 

“We can never know and that is the curse and wonder of encountering alternates of ourselves, we see glimpses of what might have been had we made a different choice been raised slightly different to what you know” Cain remarked with a smile. “Look how you’re Logan and Jean are handling seeing their alternates happy marriage compared to their own rather complicated relationship, I am sure your Summers wasn’t too happy to see how dark and twisted his alternate was either” he continued. 

“No he was not in fact I think it was a shock to see how far it was possible he could fall for holding onto something far too much” Xavier agreed with a nod of his head. “Glimpses of what might have been or what could be can be painful and yet can also be helpful” he mused to which Cain nodded. 

“So are you going home tomorrow?” Cain inquired. 

“Yes I am afraid so, we have much to do in our own dimension” Xavier stated. “We succeeded in helping free you, from here we must go our separate ways” he added. 

“Then I wish you well Charles and hope maybe in time we will meet again” Cain told him before finishing his drink and heading to his room to rest.

Xavier watched him go and wondered yet again at what caused the less hostile relationship with his step brother in this dimension, and he wondered for the first time in many years if there had been something he could have done to make things easier with Cain in his own dimension. 

Alexander sat with the alternate Kitty curled up into his side asleep whilst he talked quietly to Rachel, he had found his half-sister easy going and very much like their Mother no matter which reality she came from. Jean sat with talking with the alternate Jean and Madelyne who she had noted had still not confronted Scott, it seemed her clone sister had decided to leave it until she was used to been back in her right mind and once more a part of the team before getting into that mess. Magneto spent his time talking to his alternate as well as the alternate of his daughter Lorna who he had not seen in his own reality for many years, it was no secret his daughter despised his attempts at making Mutants rule over normal humans. She was a believer in Charles’s doctrine and had even been a member of the X-Men in the past, now she served side by side with her lover Alex Summers in another team of mutant hero’s. He found her alternate had a very loving and close relationship with his own alternate and the fact even the alternate Wanda was close to him showed him his own family ties were lacking, which added more pressure for him to change his tactics and try and heal old wounds before his time ran out finally. Logan played cards with his alternate alongside Gambit and the two Hanks, Scott stared off into space and tried to keep his eyes off Emma which he find difficult. The rest of the two groups were split into small groups talking and getting to know one another, when they finally retired for bed the two groups had found quite a bit of common ground. 

+XW+

The next day after a quick breakfast the combined group headed down to the danger room so they could see off their alternates, Logan was eager to leave having seen far more than a glimpse of what his life could have been had life been kinder to him. Scott was partly dreading returning home due to the changes he knew were going to come once they arrived, but there was also a part of him that actually felt anticipation for what those changes might bring into his life. Jean could sense Logan’s desire to leave, that seeing his alternate’s happy marriage to her own alternate had become too much, she feared he might decide to take a break from the mansion once they were back home before she could make the nessacary changes to her life she needed to make before she could tell him that she had a made a choice. Kurt and Wanda held hands as they entered the room ignoring the surprised looks this got them from some of the group including Wanda’s brother Pietro, Magneto had decided to have a stark conversation with Charles once they were back in their own dimension after making a choice about his future. 

“I must once again thank you for your aide Charles you and your team are a credit to the dream we all share, to unite Humanity and Mutants as one” the alternate Magneto said once they were all inside. “I hope one day we can return the favour, I wish you all well once you return home” he added. 

“Thank you Eric, I hope for at least a few quiet months before the next crisis but you know how the life of an X-Man is” Xavier replied with a smile which was returned by half the assembled group. “At the most by coming here we have helped you and your group and perhaps assembled data on a monster than our own version of Sinister may one day produce, hence we are forewarned and prepared should we encounter it” he mused. 

“An advantage on a possible enemy in the future I agree Charles but not the reason we came here, no we came to help Alexander and his friends and we have done so and now we must return to our dimension and ensure the dream we all share in one way or another endures” Magneto stated gaining a confused look from Scott. 

“Then we should get to it” Logan agreed. “Who knows what kind of chaos we could run into next and Jean and Alexander will need to get back here where they belong just in case trouble comes for them as well” he pointed out. 

“Logan is correct, it is time” the alternate Magneto who stepped away with his team to the outer ring of the room and gave them all a farewell before Jean and her alternate, Madelyne, Rachel and 

Alexander took up positions around the group and began the process of transferring them home. Once again they vanished in a flash of fire but this time so bright the alternates had to look away, it was a symbol of how the Phoenix hosts had their powers enhanced. 

+XW+

(Earth 616, X-Mansion)

Once the flames died the group look around as they noted they were once again in the danger room only this time it was empty, Alexander noted he was not as winded by the transfer as he had been and noted by the expressions on the others they too had felt less of a drain. 

“We’ll rest for a few hours here and then Alexander we will return home” the alternate Jean decided to which her son nodded. “Whilst we felt less of a drain that does not mean we didn’t use up a lot of power, best be careful until we can test ourselves in controlled conditions” she cautioned. 

“I have to agree, we have no idea how much our powers were enhanced” Jean agreed. “But for now I need to rest tomorrow will be a busy day” she added before turning and leaving the room as did most of the group. 

Scott rubbed his neck and knew exactly what Jean meant by been a busy day tomorrow, letting out a sigh he headed for his own room whilst Madelyne requested to be shown to a room she could use as she had no intention of leaving and Logan nodded and moved to comply after Xavier had nodded in agreement. Alexander decided to continue getting to know Rachel whilst the alternate Jean headed for the kitchen to make something to eat. Xavier and Magneto headed to his office to finally have a talk about the future, a talk that could change all their lives in unpredictable ways. Life would continue for the X-Men but unaware by them all were the dark eyes that watched them from afar making their own plans, plans they had already interfered with by healing Madelyne. The time would come when the X-Men would learn he did not like having his plans interfered with, they would learn their place once and for all he swore. 

The End.


End file.
